Chemical Modification of Hyaluronan and Their Biomedical Applications

Hyaluronan, the extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycan, is an important structural component of many tissues playing a critical role in a variety of biological contexts. This makes hyaluronan, which can be biotechnologically produced in large scale, an attractive starting polymer for chemical modifications. This review provides a broad overview of different synthesis strategies used for modulating the biological as well as material properties of this polysaccharide. We discuss current advances and challenges of derivatization reactions targeting the primary and secondary hydroxyl groups or carboxylic acid groups and the