The Influence of Hofmeister Series Ions on Hyaluronan Swelling and Viscosity

The dissolution of hyaluronan in water leads to its degradation, and as a resultits molecular weight decreases. The degradation of hyaluronan is mainly influenced bytemperature, solution composition, and also its pH. This study describes the influence ofHofmeister series ions on hyaluronan behaviour and hyaluronan film swelling bysolutions of these ions. It was found that Hofmeister ions show lyotropic effectsinfluencing the entanglement of hyaluronan coils and their expansion from solid polymerfilms into swollen gel state. The hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions in the structureof hyaluronan macromolecules are represented by the mutual diffusion coefficient D(c),the mean mutual diffusion coefficient Ds , the expansion work of coil swelling RAδ,s, theactivation enthalpy of diffusion connected with swelling HD,s and kinematic viscosity ofhyaluronan-ions solutions ν.