The chemical structure of hyaluronic acid was elucidated by Karl Mayer's laboratory in the 1950s. Hyaluronic acid is a high molecular weight polymer, a high-grade polysaccharide composed of units of D-glucuronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine. D-glucuronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine are linked by β-1,3-glycosidic bonds, and disaccharide units are linked by β-1,4-glycosidic bonds. The number of disaccharide units can reach as many as 25,000. The molecular weight of hyaluronic acid in the body ranges from 5,000 to 20 million Daltons.
Molecular formula: (C14H21NO11)n
