HYALURONIC-ACID INHIBITS POLYCATION INDUCED CELLULAR-RESPONSES

POSITIVELY charged macromolecules cause a variety of pathological even ts through their electrostatic interaction with anionic sites present on the membrane of target cells. In the present study we have investig ated the effect of hyaluronic acid, a negatively charged molecule, on rat paw oedema induced by poly-L-lysine as well as on histamine releas e from rat mast cells and nitric oxide formation from rabbit aorta, bo th induced by this polycation. The results indicate that hyaluronic ac id is able to suppress these poly-L-lysine induced effects with a mech anism which possibly depends on Its negative charges which may balance the effects of positively charged polycations.