Structural Basis of Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid has attracted much attention for its excellent moisturizing ability. It can absorb 1000 times its own weight in water, so it is known as a "super moisturizer". So, what makes hyaluronic acid so special? The answer is its structural basis!
The structure of hyaluronic acid is composed of repeating disaccharide units, which include N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) and D-glucuronic acid (GlcA). These disaccharide units are alternately connected by β-1,3-glycosidic bonds and β-1,4-glycosidic bonds to form a linear polymer.
We can see that there are a lot of hydroxyl groups on its molecular chain, which are -OH bonds. They can combine with the H bonds in water molecules to form a huge net that locks moisture firmly. This is why it has a strong moisturizing ability.