What is Hyaluronic Acid?
Hyaluronic acid is a high molecular weight linear polysaccharide, widely present in the connective tissues of organisms, including humans. It concentrates above all at the level of the synovial fluid (which wets the articular surfaces, preserving them from wear), of the cartilage, of the vitreous humor of the eye and of the umbilical cord.
Chemical Structure
Thanks to this particular chemical structure, hyaluronic acid is able to bind many water molecules to itself, reaching a high degree of hydration.
Functions and Properties
Given these remarkable viscosifying properties, hyaluronic acid is essential for maintaining the right degree of hydration, turgidity, plasticity and viscosity of the extracellular matrix (ECM).
At the Cutaneous Level
Thanks to its high molecular weight and high degree of hydration, hyaluronic acid can be organized into macromolecules, forming a reticular dynamic structure that fills the spaces between collagen fibers; this scaffolding maintains the shape and tone of the fabric, and acts as a physical filter against the spread of particular substances, including bacteria and infectious agents. However, it should be noted that many bacteria can degrade hyaluronic acid, opening a gap in this three-dimensional structure, thanks to the secretion of the hyaluronidase enzyme.
At the skin level, hyaluronic acid plays a very important role in preserving the right degree of hydration and firmness of the skin, also exercising a filling action that gives the skin a young and plumped appearance.
At the Articular Level
Being able to collect many water molecules, hyaluronic acid is also able to act as a shock absorber for mechanical shocks and as an efficient lubricant (eg in synovial fluid), preventing damage to tissue cells from physical stress.
Not by chance, in cartilage hyaluronic acid, by binding to proteoglycans, forms aggregates of considerable size, resulting fundamental for the stability of the cartilage itself. During joint inflammation, the structure of hyaluronic acid is attacked by pro-inflammatory substances (with hyaluronic activity), thus losing not only its structural characteristics, but also its lubricating and nutritive functionality. These alterations are the basis of the cartilaginous degenerative phenomena typical of arthrosis.
Therapeutic uses
Infiltrations of hyaluronic acid
Given the importance of hyaluronic acid for joint health, this polysaccharide is commonly used for infiltration in the treatment of inflammatory processes and degenerative joint diseases.
In these cases, the medical treatment is aimed at enriching and replacing locally the synovial fluids that fill the suffering osteoarticular junctions, through local infiltrations of hyaluronic acid. For this purpose, this polysaccharide is used as an anti-inflammatory lubricant and a preservative of synovial fluid.
Aesthetic Medicine and Cosmetics
Hyaluronic acid injections are also used in surgery and aesthetic dermatology, to eliminate wrinkles and prevent aging of the skin (see hyaluronic acid filler), while the cosmetic industry includes hyaluronic acid in make-up products and in anti-aging moisturizing creams (see hyaluronic acid in cosmetics).
Other Uses
In ophthalmology, artificial tears based on hyaluronic acid are used to draw relief in the case of a dry eye.
Hyaluronic acid is also used for the controlled release of some drugs.
Oral hyaluronic acid
Considering the importance of hyaluronic acid for the health of the organism, and considering the inevitable decline in its concentrations with aging (with the percentage present in the organism at 20, the value drops to 65, 45 and 25 at 30, 50 and 60 years respectively), many people are looking for a supplement that can somehow increase the concentrations of this polysaccharide in various tissues.
precursors
For a long time the integration of hyaluronic acid occurred indirectly, using glucosamine supplements, often combined with chondroitin sulfate, mainly to promote joint health. For some time, however, hyaluronic acid supplements have appeared on the market to be taken orally.
This possibility has long been discarded, since the digestive processes irremediably alter the structure of hyaluronic acid, inactivating it; furthermore, the high molecular weight made the hypothesis of a significant intestinal absorption implausible.
How it is produced
Hyaluronic acid abounds particularly in the crests of the cock and this material has been used for the preparation of specific supplements, which have shown positive effects on skin turgor and hydration, bearing witness to a certain intestinal absorption capacity of hyaluronic acid introduced by os.
Keep in mind that most of the hyaluronic acid on the market today is not of animal origin, but is produced by bacterial fermentation (thanks to recombinant DNA technology).
How it works and Effectiveness
The first studies on the kinetics of digestion and absorption of hyaluronic acid have suggested the possibility that it may be broken up (hydrolyzed) at the gastric and intestinal level, also thanks to the action of the local bacterial flora (bifidobacteria and lactobacilli); here, thanks to the marked solubility, to the linear structure and to the absence of sulfate groups, it is plausible that the fragments of hyaluronic acid are absorbed without particular difficulty, as indeed testify various experiments conducted on mouse models.
After absorption, these molecular chains would somehow be recomposed in the appropriate locations, to give hyaluronic acid through internal synthesis reactions.
Another mechanism of action hypothesizes that hyaluronic acid taken orally forms inflammation also through a direct interaction with the epithelial cells of the intestine and their receptors; from this interaction would derive the synthesis of anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-10.
The efficacy of hyaluronic acid taken orally in rehydrating dry skin and improving knee health has now been confirmed by numerous studies, including some interesting reviews (see bibliography)
If you want, it's a bit like what happens with collagen (another essential component of skin and joints), which, once introduced with the diet or specific supplements, is digested at the gastric level; at this point, the single amino acids and small peptides deriving from the digestion of collagen are transported to the bloodstream and - once they arrive in the sites responsible for the synthesis of the molecule - they are used as bricks to reconstruct the colalgene, stimulating its endogenous synthesis.
According to the above, a supplement containing adequate concentrations of hyaluronic acid, collagen and other active support ingredients can be a valid solution for joint well-being, helping to maintain dynamic joints.
The action of hyaluronic acid aggregators is also useful to support skin hydration, keeping the skin firmer and brighter, with less wrinkles.
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Bibliography
Nutr J. 2014 Jul 11; 13: 70. doi: 10.1186 / 1475-2891-13-70. Ingested hyaluronan moisturizes dry skin. Kawada C, Yoshida T, Yoshida H, Matsuoka R1, Sakamoto W, Odanaka W, Sato T, Yamasaki T, Kanemitsu T, Masuda Y, Urushibata O.
Nutr J. 2015; 15: 11. Oral hyaluronan relieves knee pain: a review. Mariko Oe, Toshiyuki Tashiro, Hideto Yoshida, Hiroshi Nishiyama, Yasunobu Masuda, Koh Maruyama, Takashi Koikeda, Reiko Maruya, and Naoshi Fukui
Huang SL, Ling PX, Zhang TM. Oral absorption of hyaluronic acid and phospholipids complexes in rats. World J Gastroenterol 2007; 13 (6): 945-9.
JIANG Qiu-yan, LING Pei-xue, HUANG Si-ling, LIN Hong, ZHANG Tian-min (Division of Life Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China; School of Pharmacy, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China); Study on absorption of hyaluronic acid after an oral administration in rats [J]; Chinese Pharmaceutical Journal; 2005-23.
Qiu-yan JIANG Pei-xue LING Tian-min ZHANG. Progress in Oral Administration of Hyaluronic Acid. Chinese Pharmaceutical Journal, 2006, 41 (10): 729-731.
