This invention relates to a hyaluronate fiber, and more particularly to a hyaluronate fiber, suitable for use in a surgical suture, a filler for cosmetic surgery, a lifting thread, a tissue-engineering scaffold, etc., and a method of manufacturing the same. The method of manufacturing the hyaluronate fiber through melt spinning includes (a) controlling the water content of a hyaluronate having a weight average molecular weight of 500 ∼ 3,000 kDa to 5 ∼ 20%, (b) producing a hyaluronate fiber by placing the hyaluronate having a controlled water content in a melt-spinning apparatus and performing heating to 150 ∼ 200°C and then high-pressure spinning, and (c) hardening the surface of the hyaluronate fiber by immersing the hyaluronate fiber in an ethanol aqueous solution. The hyaluronate fiber of the invention is composed mainly of hyaluronate, thus exhibiting excellent safety and biocompatibility, and causes no microbial contamination, unlike existing liquid hydrogel products, and is easy to handle and use and can thus be utilized as formulations in various forms for tissue restoration. The hyaluronate fiber of the invention is a product in solid form, whereby the volume thereof relative to the hyaluronate concentration is very low to thus minimize the pain and discomfort of a patient upon in-vivo injection, thereby maximizing the therapeutic effect.
