DEPOLYMERIZATION REACTIONS OF HYALURONIC-ACID IN SOLUTION

Samples of microbial sodium hyaluronate were degraded by heating, ultr asonication ultraviolet (UV) and gamma-ray irradiation and enzymatic t reatment. The weight-average molecular weight, M(w)BAR, of hyaluronate in 0.1 5 m NaCl and 0.06 m Na2HPO4 was determined by gel filtration w ith UV detection. The M(w)BAR of the degraded samples varied from 8 x 10(4) to 1.38 x 10(6). Depolymerization processes can be described by linear relationship (1/M(w)BAR)2 = f(t) in the case of ultrasonic trea tment and by non-linear relationships in the cases of heating and UV i rradiation at 257 nm. Gamma-ray irradiation and enzymatic treatment ca used chemical degradation and depolymerization to oligosaccharides, re spectively.