The interaction between polysaccharides and other macromolecules. 9. The exclusion of molecules from hyaluronic acid gels and solutions

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Abstract
A number of substances have been chromatographed on a cross-linked hyaluronic acid gel with a concentration of 1.45 x 10-2 g/ml. at high ionic strength and at high pH. The results are interpreted on the basis of a steric exclusion of the substances from the gel. Calculations show that the results are compatible with the hypothesis that hyaluronic acid forms a continuous network of extended rigid linear polysaccharide chains in the gel. The excluded volumes obtained by equilibrium dialysis of proteins between a hyaluronic acid phase and a buffer phase at polysaccharide concentrations of lx 10-3-8x 10-3 g/ml. were somewhat lower than those obtained in the gel experiments, indicating that the network model breaks down at lower concentrations. The results are in good agreement with previous osmotic results. Gel filtration should be a useful tool for the structural analysis of gels.