title: Hyaluronan and synovial joint: function, distribution and healing.
abstract: Synovial fluid is a viscous solution found in the cavities of synovial joints. The principal role of synovial fluid is to reduce friction between the articular cartilages of synovial joints during movement. The presence of high molar mass hyaluronan (HA) in this fluid gives it the required viscosity for its function as lubricant solution. Inflammation oxidation stress enhances normal degradation of hyaluronan causing several diseases related to joints. This review describes hyaluronan properties and distribution, applications and its function in synovial joints, with short review for using thiol compounds as antioxidants preventing HA degradations under inflammation conditions.
authors.affiliation: Polymer Materials Research Department, Advanced Technologies and New Materials Research Institute (ATNMRI), City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), New Borg El-Arab City, Alexandria, Egypt ; Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry of Drugs, Institute of Experimental Pharmacology & Toxicology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Tamer Mahmoud
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Tamer
keywords: antioxidant; hyaluronan; synovial joint fluid; thiol compound