Effect of hyaluronic acid amide derivative on equine synovial fluid viscoelasticity

Abstract An amphiphilic hyaluronic acid (HA) derivative has been obtained by the amidation of the carboxylic group of the glucuronic acid. This derivative, HYADD4®‐G (HY4), is the hexadecylamide of 500–730 kDa hyaluronic acid, derived from Streptococcus equi at about 2% degree of substitution (2 mol hexadecylamine per 100 mol hexuronic acid). Its viscoelastic properties, at a concentration of 5 mg/mL in phosphate buffer saline, have been compared with those solutions of native HA, having the same molecular weight. Changes in the viscoelastic properties of equine synovial fluid (SF) when mixed with HY4 over a series of volume ratios—viz 1:2, 1:1, 3:1, and 7:1—have been evaluated. HY4 is able to associate into aqueous solution, and its rheological behavior is typical of a weak gel. Throughout the frequency range investigated (0.1–10 Hz), the elastic modulus G′ is higher than the viscous modulus G″, and both moduli are frequency independent, and G′ value is about two orders of magnitude higher than that of a comparable solution of native HA. The addition of HY4 to equine synovial fluid (SF) increased its viscoelasticity at all the SF:HY4 ratios tested. These results demonstrate that HY4 is able to integrate with SF, increasing the synovial fluid rheology, and could be an interesting new option in viscosupplement therapy of osteoarthritis, particularly considering its low degree of chemical modification from native HA. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2010