Applications of glycosaminoglycans in the medical, veterinary, pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields

Abstract

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are complex polysaccharides ubiquitously present in the extracellular matrix of mammalian tissues, where they constitute the gelatinous material responsible of maintaining the cells together, in an intimate association with a variety of proteins. Although their structures are not strictly regular, they are composed of a repeating unit of a hexosamine-containing disaccharide. Most of them possess uronic acid residues and, with the exception of hyaluronic acid, they also carry sulfate groups. As a consequence of their high negative charge, they have an extraordinary capacity to absorb water. GAGs participate in many relevant biological processes by interaction with a plethora of proteins, and thus, a large number of applications in different fields have been conceived for GAGs and their derivatives.