Steady state plasma and tissue distribution of low molecular weight hyaluronic acid after oral administration in mice

Abstract

The oral administration is probably the most used and largely applicable method, even if absorption across the intestinal epithelium is a limiting factor that can invalidate the achievement of a therapy. The aim of this study was to assess the steady state bioavailability of very low molecular weight hyaluronic acid (vLMW-HA) and its distribution in different districts of mice. Adult female C57BL6/J mice (n = 26) were divided in three groups and orally treated for 7 days with: saline solution (SHAM-HA), high dose of vLMW-HA (5 kDa; 500 mg/kg/day; HD-vLMW-HA), and low dose of vLMW-HA (5 kDa; 100 mg/kg/day; LD-vLMW-HA). HA content was quantified in plasma, skin, bladder, gut, rectum, vagina, and eyes with ELISA assay at the end of treatment. HA level significantly increased after treatment with HD-vLMW-HA in all analyzed tissues and plasma. Therefore, vLMW-HA easy absorption and distribution after the oral intake opens new possibilities for future biomedical applications.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Very low molecular weight hyaluronic acid (vLMW-HA)
• oral administration
• steady state bioavailability
• tissue distribution

Author contributions

Conceptualization, F.M.; supervision A.B.; writing—original draft, F.M.; writing—review and editing, A.B.; methodology, G.P.; validation, N.I. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by LO.LI.PHARMAsrl provided to SunNutraPharma s.r.l.