The use of acetylation to improve the performance of hyaluronic acid-based dermal filler

Injectable dermal fillers, which are used for various plastic surgery purposes, are experiencing explosive market growth due to increasing interest in appearance management. Hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels have been considered an ideal material for fillers due to their high-water retention, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. However, their application is limited by shortcomings in durability and persistence caused by rapid enzymatic degradation. Therefore, in this study, we introduce acetylated hyaluronic acid-divinyl sulfone (AcHA-DVS) hydrogels for a novel approach for improving the physical properties and gel retention time of HA. The AcHA-DVS hydrogels showed significant advantages in terms of longevity and performance as dermal fillers compared to HA-DVS hydrogels. These results suggest that our new AcHA-DVS hydrogel is a promising biomaterial as an injectable filler or scaffold for tissue engineering.