Bone Tissue Engineering
Natural materials: Hyaluronan
- Natural proteoglycan of the ECM
- Hyaluronan synthase enzymes synthesize large, linear polymers of the repeating disaccharide
- Cells actively synthesize and catabolize hyaluronan throughout the lifetime of the tissue
- The half life of a hyaluronan molecule in cartilage is normally 2-3 weeks
- Resists compression and has role in mineralization