Percarboxylated polysaccharides, and a process for their preparation

Percarboxylated polysaccharides, wherein the polysaccharide is selected from the group consisting of hyaluronic acid derivatives, having a “percarboxylation degree” between 1% and 100%, wherein the term “percarboxylation degree” means the percentage of carboxy groups or modifications thereof introduced by an oxidation process of the primary hydroxyl groups present on the said polysaccharides, said hyaluronic acid derivatives comprising at least one repeating unit of formula (I):

• wherein R is OH, O−, or an alcoholic or amino group of the aliphatic, aromatic, arylaliphatic, cycloaliphatic, or heterocyclic series;
• R1 is COR6,
• R6 is (i) OH, O−, an alcoholic or amino group of the aliphatic, aromatic, arylaliphatic, cycloaliphatic, or heterocyclic series;
• (ii) an alcoholic group of hyaluronic acid, or
• (iii) an amino group of N-deacetylated hyaluronic acid;
• R2, R3, R4, equal or different from each other, are H, SO3−, an acyl group deriving from a carboxylic acid of the aliphatic, aromatic, arylaliphatic, cycloaliphatic, or heterocyclic series;
• or a residue of hemiester of succinic acid or of heavy metal salts of hemiester of succinic acid;
• and
• R5 is COCH3, H, SO3−, an acyl group deriving from a carboxylic acid of the aliphatic, aromatic, arylaliphatic, cycloaliphatic, or heterocyclic series, or an acyl group of hyaluronic acid;
• provided that, when R is OH or O−, R5 is COCH3 and R2═R3═R4═H, R6 is different from OH and O−.