Fractionation of hyaluronic acid the polydispersity of hyaluronic acid from the bovine vitreous body

The polydispersity of hyaluronic acid from the bovine vitreous body has been demonstrated by the successful separation of the polysaccharide into fractions with molecular weights ranging from 7.7·10 4 to 1.7·10 6. The results of light-scattering, ultracentrifuge and viscosity studies have been compared; it has been found that, where discrepancies occur, the limiting viscosity numbers correspond more closely to the molecular weights obtained by light-scattering than to those evaluated from ultracentrifuge data. The extent to which light-scattering and ultracentrifuge molecular weights are at variance appears to be a function of the degree of polydispersity of each individual sample. The relationship between the limiting viscosity number and molecular weight, [ η] = 0.036·M 0.78 is expected for a coil configuration for hyaluronic acid.