Collagenase production by human dermis in vitro.

Isolated human dermis has been shown to produce a specific collagenase in vitro. Enzyme activity becomes detectable after two days of culture, reaches a peak on the fourth day, and then begins to decline. Like collagenase obtained from cultures of whole human skin, dermal collagenase is inhibited by human serum and EDTA. The possible sources of this enzyme are discussed. Collagenolytic activity has been detected in culture fluids of human skin by several observers (1, 2). This enzymatic activity has been characterized and shown to cleave the collagen molecule, under physiological conditions, into two distinct products which represent three quarters and one quarter of the molecule (3). The cellumr source of this collagenase is unknown. Studies on tadpole skin (4—6) and guinea pig wounds (7, 8) have suggested that epithelium is the primary source of collagenase. Recently, collagenase has been demonstrated in culture fluids from both connective and epithelial tissues of human gingivae (9). This report demonstrates that human dermis, completely excluded from epidermis, has the ability to produce collagenase in vitro.