Fertilization involves several precisely coordinated steps, including sperm dispersal of the oocyte cumulus mass, adhesion and binding to the zona pellucida, penetration through the zona pellucida, and fusion with the oocyte. Hyaluronidase, which is present in the sperm head, is known to be essential for the decomposition of the oocyte cumulus mass. Interestingly, two types of hyaluronidase—SPA...

A trial was made of hyaluronidase and potassium chloride as adjuvants for epidural analgesia in 137 patients. Lignocaine hydrochloride in 2 per cent concentration with adrenaline 1/200,000 was used as the control solution in 61 cases; hyaluronidase, 5 USP units/ml, was added in 26 cases, and 1 per cent potassium chloride was added in 50 cases. Hyaluronidase tended to impair the quality of senso...

Over the past 60 years, hyaluronidase has been successfully utilized in ophthalmic surgery and is now being implemented in dermatosurgery as well as in other surgical disciplines. The enzyme is considered a "spreading factor" as it decomplexes hyaluronic acid (also called hyaluronan, HA), an essential component of the extracellular matrix (ECM). When applied as an adjuvant, hyaluronidase enhanc...

The most recently published method for the assay of testicular hyaluronidase preparations was based on the premise that the enzyme also exhibited carboxylesterase activity towards indoxyl acetate. Studies on the relative enzyme activities of various hyaluronidase preparations towards hyaluronate and indoxyl acetate, the relative stabilities towards pH, temperature and mechanical shaking and the...

Hyaluronan is a major component of the extracellular matrix and glycocalyx. Its main somatic degrading enzymes are hyaluronidases 1 and 2, neither of which is active in the bloodstream. We generated hyaluronidase 2-deficient mice. These animals suffer from chronic, mild anemia and thrombocytopenia, in parallel with a 10-fold increase in plasma hyaluronan concentration. In this study we explored...