Unexplored capabilities of chemiluminescence and thermoanalytical methods in characterization of intact and degraded hyaluronans

Three intact and four degraded hyaluronans were investigated by using chemiluminometry, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetry. Degradation of hyaluronan was induced by a system containing H₂O₂ alone (882 mM); 55 mM H₂O₂plus 1.25 μM CuCl₂; NaOCl alone (10 mM); and NaOCl plus CuCl₂ and ascorbic acid (10 mM, 0.1 μM, and 100 μM, respectively). The four different oxidative systems yielded biopolymer fragments represented by similar viscosity characteristics. The results obtained by using chemiluminescence and thermoanalytical methods indicate that hyaluronans of similar rheological properties could be distinguished from each other.