透明质酸是脊椎动物组织细胞外基质的主要成分，为细胞提供机械支撑，并充当调节维持组织稳态所必需的生化过程的介质。组织中透明质酸含量的变化通常与不同的病理状况有关。它与肿瘤侵袭和进展相关，因为它在调节肿瘤发生的不同方面和癌症的几个明确标志中发挥着至关重要的作用。它通过细胞外重塑建立肿瘤微环境来协助肿瘤进展，该微环境由于间质压力的增加而限制细胞毒性药物向肿瘤细胞的输送。透明质酸分解代谢和合成代谢基因以及低分子量透明质酸通过协助细胞增殖、转移和侵袭，在肿瘤微环境的建立中发挥着重要作用。另一方面，它也被用作癌症治疗中的有效药物递送平台，因为其生物相容性和生物降解性降低了化疗药物的毒性并增加了药物保留。高分子量透明质酸生物缀合物与透明质酸特异性结合，促进靶向药物输送并发挥抗炎特性。本综述还重点介绍了有效化疗透明质酸制剂开发的市场和专利趋势以及临床试验的当前情况。版权所有 © 2024。由 Elsevier B.V. 出版。

Hyaluronic acid is a major constituent of the extracellular matrix of vertebrate tissue that provides mechanical support to cells and acts as a mediator in regulation of necessary biochemical process essential for maintenance of tissue homeostasis. The variation in quantity of hyaluronic acid content in tissues is often associated with different pathological conditions. It is associated with tumor aggression and progression as it plays crucial role in regulating different aspects of tumorigenesis and several defined hallmarks of cancer. It assists in tumor progression by undergoing extracellular remodeling to establish tumor microenvironment which restricts the delivery of cytotoxic drugs to neoplastic cells due to increase in interstitial pressure. Hyaluronic acid catabolic and anabolic genes and low-molecular weight hyaluronic acid play significant role in the establishing tumor microenvironment by assisting in cell proliferation, metastasis and invasion. On the other hand, it is also used as an effective drug-delivery platform in cancer therapies as its biocompatibility and biodegradability lower the toxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs and increase drug retention. High-molecular weight hyaluronic acid-bioconjugates specifically bind with hyaladherins, facilitating targeted drug delivery and also exert anti-inflammatory properties. This review also highlights the market and patent trends in the development of effective chemotherapeutic hyaluronic acid formulations and the current scenario regarding clinical trials.Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.