DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS USING HYALURONAN AND ITS DERIVATIVES

Hyaluronan (sodium hyaluronate) and hyaluronan derivatives (hylans) have been developed as topical, injectable and implantable vehicles for the controlled and localized delivery of biologically active molecules. Hyaluronan is a natural polysaccharide which exhibits extraordinary biocompatibility and unique rheological properties. Hylans are a family of chemically modified hyaluronans and include hylan fluids, gels, microparticles and membranes (sheets, coatings). Hylan fluid is a water-soluble, hydrophilic, polyanionic hyaluronan derivative which retains the excellent biocompatibility of the native glycosaminoglycan while providing the basis for various release systems. Hyaluronan and hylan derivatives have been evaluated in in vitro and in vivo models for their ability to optimize delivery of a variety of pharmacologically active molecules including the antibiotic gentamicin, the antiglaucoma drugs pilocarpine and betaxolol, the vasodilator serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine), the cytokine interferon and the enzyme thrombin.