Protocol for preparing tyramine functionalized hyaluronic acid via aqueous DMTMM-mediated conjugation

Hyaluronic acid is a ubiquitous glycosaminoglycan with numerous biological and structural functions in the body. Here, we present a protocol for the practical and efficient functionalization of HA with tyramine. We describe the reaction conditions for its DMTMM-mediated coupling, the subsequent purification and drying steps, and product characterization through ¹H NMR and UV spectrophotometry. This protocol produces materials which can form hydrogels with tunable viscoelastic properties, for a range of biomedical applications, such as biofabrication and tissue engineering. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Miklosic et al.¹.