Biological Functions and Health Benefits

1. Water retention
Retention of water is one of the most important biological functions of Hyaluronic Acid* in skin and other tissues. In skin, HA and other sulfated glycosaminoglycans (DS, CHS, etc.) combined with collagen and elastin, form ECM (extracellular matrix) containing large amount of water. The gel like ECM filling up the extracellular spaces between cells of skin makes skin soft, smooth, moist, elastic and fine. While becoming older, HA content in human skin decreases, result in the loss of water. As a consequence, ECM contracts, arrangement of cells becomes closer, collagen becomes de-natured and hardened, skin becomes dry and rough, wrinkles form. So the water retention function of HA serves a very important role in healthy skin.

2. Medium and environment of cell metabolism
The ECM formed by HA, DS and CHS, is the medium of normal metabolism (proliferation, migration, differentiation) of cells, through which nutrients and wastes are transported.

3. Ion adjustment
Each disaccharide unit of long chains of HA, DA and CHS has a carboxylic group, which contain an anion. So there are great number of anions meanly arranged along the long molecular chain, and are called polyanions. The polyanions serve as cation exchanger, and adjust the movement and concentration of cations around them.

4. Improves wound healing and less Scarring
Studies have shown that the presence of HA improves the wound healing process and the quality of the tissue repair is higher with less fibrous scarring. HA performs regulatory and structural functions during wound healing by stimulating or inducing cell motility, and activating and regulating many functions of blood’s inflammatory cells, as well as connective tissue resident cells. The important role played by HA in the scarless nature of fetal wound healing has been well documented. Adult wound healing is a reparative process, accompanied by scar formation. In contrast, wound healing in the early gestation fetus is regenerative in nature with the resulting neotissue being free from visible scarring. Fetal wound healing is characterized by an elevated and persistent presence of HA at the wound site compared to adult granulation tissue.

5. Prevent UV light damage of skin
HA, DS and CHS, effective scavengers of free radicals, may also serve a protective role in epidermis by scavenging reactive oxygen species generated by ultraviolet radiation. The rapid turnover of HA may help to remove and clear noxious compounds from epidermis. DS can increase the density of skin cells, and prevent UV light from invading into skin. For the inflamed skin by UV light, DS inhibits swelling and the formation of bled. Studies showed that UV light irradiation stimulate the biosynthesis of DS and HA in skin, and increase the contents of DS and HA in skin compensatively. As consequence, HA, DS, and CHS can inhibit the formation of fleck or sunspot induced by UV light in sunshine.

6. Enhance the functions of blood capillary
As one of the important components of blood capillary, DS can enhance the functions of blood capillary in skin, increase blood circulation, and prevent acidification of blood and the formation of fleck.

7. Activation of skin cells
DS can activate the metabolism of skin cells, promote division and proliferation of basal cells, normalize the life circle of epidermis cells and expel fleck in early period, inhibit keratinization of skin.

8. Lubricating effect
With long and linear chains, HA in solution of ECM exhibits very high viscosity and excellent lubricating effect in human body. In fact, the main ingredient of synovia is HA. In just about all human exercises, muscle cells need lubrication to perform stretching out and drawing back.

9. Pain relieving effect
HA can cover the pain receptors on nerve cells, and has pain relieving effect. When given to arthritis patients, CHS reduce the joint pain by inhibiting free radicals that degrade joint cartilage and collagen. CHS also improve blood circulation to joints, which enables antioxidants and glucosamine to enter inflamed joints to stimulate the repair process required for the regression of osteoarthritis.

10. Inhibition of thrombin
Dermatan sulfate expresses its anticoagulant activity by catalyzing the inhibition of thrombin as it is formed in plasma. It specifically activates heparin cofactor II (HCII), a plasma protease inhibitor which inhibits thrombin but not other proteases involved in hemostasis.