Hyaluronan-Cell Interactions in Cancer and Vascular Disease

Other articles in this series concentrate on normal physiological and cellular functions of hyaluronan. In this article we discuss the influences of hyaluronan on disease progression. Alterations in hyaluronan metabolism, distribution, and function have been documented in many diseases, e.g. arthritis, immune and inflammatory disorders, pulmonary and vascular diseases, and cancer (see Refs. 1 and 2). In this article we will concentrate on cancer and vascular disease because our knowledge in these areas has advanced rapidly over the past several years and because work in these areas has highlighted the importance of hyaluronan-cell interactions in cell behavior.