Some characteristics of plasma and urine 'hyaluronidase'

Isoflavonoids with inhibiting effects on human hyaluronidase-1 and norneolignan clitorienolactone B from Ononis spinosa L. root extract

Human hyaluronidase-1 (Hyal-1) is one of the main enzymes in the homeostasis of hyaluronic acid (HA), the main polysaccharide of extracellular matrix. Development of specific Hyal-1 inhibitors might be a promising target for improved wound healing, tissue regeneration, and looking at renal function for diuresis. By using surface-displayed Hyal-1 on Escherichia coli F470 cells, HA as substrate and stains-all method for quantification of undegraded HA, the respective enzyme activity can be determined easily. Based on the traditional use of extracts from the roots from Ononis spinosa L. (Restharrow root) as a weak diuretic to achieve flushing of the urinary tract and as an adjuvant in minor urinary complaints the herbal material was selected for bioactivity guided fractionation for compounds with Hyal-1 inhibition activity. Hot water and hydroalcoholic extracts showed moderate inhibiting effects (IC₅₀ 1.36 resp. 0.73 mg/mL) while dichloromethane extract exerted an IC₅₀ of 190 μg/mL. Bioassay guided fractionation of the dichloromethane extract yielded four isoflavonoids with anti Hyal-1 activity: onogenin 1, sativanone 2, medicarpin 3 and calycosin-D 4 with inhibition rates of 25.4, 61.2, 22.4 and 23.0%, respectively at test concentration level of 250 μM. The norneolignan clitorienolactone B 5, the first time described for the genus Ononis, was inactive. The IC₅₀ of sativanone, the most active compound was determined with 1501 μM, which was better than that of the positive control glycyrrhizinic acid (177 μM). Thus, a possible explanation for diuretic properties of Ononis spinosa L. root extract may be postulated from the results so far obtained.

Magnetic resonance imaging visualization of hyaluronidase in ovarian carcinoma

Hyaluronan, a high molecular weight, negatively charged polysaccharide, is a major constituent of the extracellular matrix. High molecular weight hyaluronan is antiangiogenic, but its degradation by hyaluronidase generates proangiogenic breakdown products. Thus, by expression of hyaluronidase, cancer cells can tilt the angiogenic balance of their microenvironment. Indeed, hyaluronidase-mediated breakdown of hyaluronan correlates with aggressiveness and invasiveness of ovarian cancer metastasis and with tumor angiogenesis. The goal of this work was to develop a novel smart contrast material for detection of hyaluronidase activity by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (GdDTPA) covalently linked to hyaluronan on the surface of agarose beads showed attenuated relaxivity. Hyaluronidase, either purified from bovine testes or secreted by ES-2 and OVCAR-3 human epithelial ovarian carcinoma cells, activated the hyaluronan-GdDTPA-beads by rapidly altering the R1 and R2 relaxation rates. The change in relaxation rates was consistent with the different levels of biologically active hyaluronidase secreted by those cells. Hyaluronan-GdDTPA-beads were further used for demonstration of MRI detection of hyaluronidase activity in the proximity of s.c. ES-2 ovarian carcinoma tumors in nude mice. Thus, hyaluronan-GdDTPA-beads could allow noninvasive molecular imaging of hyaluronidase-mediated tilt of the peritumor angiogenic balance.

Use of a quartz crystal impedance technique to monitor the degradation of chondroitin sulfate by hyaluronidase

A new quartz crystal impedance hyaluronidase sensing technique, which is based on the changes in viscosity and density during the enzymatic hydrolysis of chondroitin sulfate (CS) by hyaluronidase (HAse), is established in this paper. The variations of equivalent circuit parameters of the piezoelectric quartz crystal (PQC) during the enzymatic degradation are discussed. The initial hydrolysis rate of CS by HAse is obtained from the changes in viscosity and density with incubation time. Kinetic parameters (the Michaelis constant K(m) and the maximum hydrolysis rate V(max)) of the degradation process are estimated by using a linear method of Lineweaver-Burk plot. K(m) is 2.73 +/- 0.20 mg.ml(-1) and V(max) is -(5.43 +/- 0.38) x 10(-4) kg.m(-2).s(-1/2).min(-1.)

The hyaluronidase gene HYAL1 maps to chromosome 3p21.2-p21.3 in human and 9F1-F2 in mouse, a conserved candidate tumor suppressor locus

We recently cloned and expressed the major hyaluronidase activity from human plasma, HYAL1, and found that the protein is 40% identical to the testicular hyaluronidase, PH-20. The HYAL1 mRNA sequence was used in a homology search of the mouse database of expressed sequence tags (dbEST). Two ESTs were obtained and, in combination with 5'RACE-PCR, were used to clone the mouse HYAL1 ortholog (Hyal1). Hyal1 codes for a protein of 462 amino acids that is 73% identical to the human sequence. Hyal1 stably expressed in human embryonic kidney cells resulted in a 20,000-fold increase of hyaluronidase activity. Sequence-tagged sites derived from the HYAL1 gene from both species were used to isolate P1 genomic clones that were used as probes for fluorescence in situ hybridization. The human gene was localized to chromosome 3p21 and the mouse gene to a syntenic region on chromosome 9F1-F2. In mouse, serum hyaluronidase polymorphism has previously been mapped by an interspecific backcross to 60 cM from the centromere of chromosome 9, which corresponds to a cytogenetic location of 9F1-F2. The mouse Hyal1 gene is therefore very likely to be responsible for the hyaluronidase polymorphism linked to this locus. We also present evidence that human HYAL1 is identical to an uncharacterized gene positionally cloned by others from chromosome 3p21.3 that is homozygously deleted in several small-cell lung carcinoma cell lines.

Purification and microsequencing of hyaluronidase isozymes from human urine

We recently cloned the major hyaluronidase of human plasma, which we termed HYAL1. All hyaluronidase activity could be purified from human urine on an anti-HYAL1 monoclonal antibody column. However, urine contains two hyaluronidases of 57 kDa and 45 kDa, whereas plasma only contains the 57 kDa activity. Microsequencing confirmed that both urinary isozymes have N-termini identical to plasma hyaluronidase, but a second N-terminus was found in the smaller isozyme, apparently derived from the terminal 25 amino acids of HYAL1, at the C-terminus. The two polypeptides of the 45 kDa isozyme resulting from endoproteolytic cleavage of the 57 kDa isoform are presumably linked by disulfide bonds. Sperm contains two isozymes of the testicular hyaluronidase, PH-20, and the lower molecular weight isozyme is believed to be an endoproteolytically processed form of the larger protein. Analogously to PH-20, the smaller isozyme of HYAL1 is likely to be a proteolytically processed product of the larger isozyme.

The relationship between hyaluronidase activity and hyaluronic acid concentration in sera from normal controls and from patients with disseminated neoplasm

Serum hyaluronidase activity (HAE) and hyaluronic acid (HA) concentration were measured in sera from patients with disseminated neoplasm and compared to those of normal controls. The serum HAE activity in disseminated neoplasm (mean, 12.6 mumol N-acetylglucosamine (NAG)/min/1; range, 5.2-24.7 mumol NAG/min/1) was significantly lower (t = 6.7, p < 0.001) than in normal controls (mean, 17.1 mumol NAG/min/1; range, 11.5-27.0 mumol NAG/min/1). The serum HA concentration in patients with disseminated neoplasm (mean, 8199.7 micrograms/l; range, 42.0-496,000 micrograms/l) was significantly higher (t = 2.63, 0.01 > p> 0.001) than in normal age-matched controls (mean, 55.6 micrograms/l; range, 10.0-348.0 micrograms/l). A negative correlation was found between the serum HAE activity and the HA concentration (r = -0.45, t = 5.92, p < 0.001). The possible reasons for the low serum HAE activity and the raised serum HA concentration in patients with disseminated neoplasm and the negative correlation between the results are discussed.

Expression of hyaluronidase by tumor cells induces angiogenesis in vivo

Hyaluronic acid is a proteoglycan present in the extracellular matrix and is important for the maintenance of tissue architecture. Depolymerization of hyaluronic acid may facilitate tumor invasion. In addition, oligosaccharides of hyaluronic acid have been reported to induce angiogenesis. We report here that a hyaluronidase similar to the one on human sperm is expressed by metastatic human melanoma, colon carcinoma, and glioblastoma cell lines and by tumor biopsies from patients with colorectal carcinomas, but not by tissues from normal colon. Moreover, angiogenesis is induced by hyaluronidase+ tumor cells but not hyaluronidase- tumor cells and can be blocked by an inhibitor of hyaluronidase. Tumor cells thus use hyaluronidase as one of the "molecular saboteurs" to depolymerize hyaluronic acid to facilitate invasion. As a consequence, breakdown products of hyaluronic acid can further promote tumor establishment by inducing angiogenesis. Hyaluronidase on tumor cells may provide a target for anti-neoplastic drugs.

Measurement of hyaluronidase activity in normal human serum

A detailed evaluation of the assay for serum hyaluronidase (HAE) activity originally developed by Bonner and Cantey [W.M. Bonner, Jr. and E.Y. Cantey, Clin. Chim. Acta, 13 (1966) 746-752] is described, together with studies of its precision. The method is based on the liberation of saccharides with N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) end-groups from hyaluronic acid. The NAG is quantitated by heating with alkaline tetraborate to form an intermediate which reacts with p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde in acidic medium to form a coloured product. The optimised assay, which requires less that 50 microliters of serum, was used to study the HAE activity of 70 normal sera. The mean HAE activity was 17.1 mumol NAG min-1 l-1 (range 11.5-27.0 mumol NAG min-1 l-1); there was no significant difference with age (t = 1.65, 0.5 > P > 0.1) or sex (t = 0.33, P > 0.5).

Human serum hyaluronidase: characterization of a clinical assay

Hyaluronidase, a lysosomal endoglycosidase mediating hyaluronan (hyaluronic acid) turn-over, is thought to be important in many normal developmental and certain pathologic processes. Previous assays of serum hyaluronidase are limited with respect to their applicability for routine clinical chemistry or clinical biochemical genetics applications. We describe a new assay of human serum or plasma hyaluronidase activity based on the determination of released N-acetylglucosamine reducing termini that allows the analysis of the enzyme with small, easily obtained sample volumes. Using 10 microliters of serum or plasma, sodium formate buffer and human umbilical cord hyaluronan as substrate, we found a pH optimum of 3.9 and a K(m) and Vmax of 114 mg/l and 5102 mU/l, respectively. In addition, the assay has excellent linearity, precision and reproducibility.

The effect of antidiuretic stimuli on the morphology of the lateral intercellular spaces in the medullary collecting duct of the rat

An investigation has been carried out into the formation of dilated lateral intercellular spaces in the medullary collecting duct of the rat kidney following water deprivation or infusion of vasopressin. Dilation is conspicuous under these conditions, by comparison with normally hydrated controls, but its appearance is prevented by prior treatment of rats with antiserum raised against urinary (renal) hyaluronidase. Antiserum against testicular hyaluronidase is without effect. The presence or absence of dilatations in the lateral intercellular space correlates closely with previous findings on the ability or inability of rats to concentrate their urine under identical experimental conditions. It is concluded that urinary (renal) hyaluronidase plays an important role in the formation of such dilatations and that these facilitate the process of urinary concentration.

Renal medullary hexosamine content following antidiuresis and water-loading in the rat. Effects of antisera against rat urinary and testicular hyaluronidase

The effect of antiserum raised against rat urinary (renal) hyaluronidase has been examined in rats subjected to antidiuretic stimuli (water-deprivation or vasopressin infusion). Prior administration of antiserum abolishes the reduction in medullary and papillary extractable hexosamine which normally accompanies antidiuresis. Antiserum against rat testicular hyaluronidase was found to be without effect during water-deprivation. Water-loading significantly increased the level of extractable hexosamine. The findings are considered in relation to previous observations on the effects of antisera on renal and urinary composition and collecting duct morphology under identical experimental conditions. It is suggested that a functional relationship exists between the net degradation of medullary mucopolysaccharides by hyaluronidase and the concentrating capacity of the kidney.

The influence of hyaluronidase on urinary and renal medullary composition following antidiuretic stimulus in the rat

1. The influence of urinary hyaluronidase (believed to be predominantly of renal origin) on the urinary concentrating process has been studied in rats subjected to antidiuretic stimulus. 2. Antiserum against a partially purified preparation of this enzyme has been raised in rabbits. Urinary volume, solute excretion and medullary composition have been investigated in rats treated with this antiserum (0.2 ml./100 g body weight, i.v.) before water deprivation for 48 hr or infusion for up to 4 hr with arginine-vasopressin. Control rats were pre-treated with normal rabbit serum. 3. Pre-treatment with antiserum against rat urinary hyaluronidase (AUase) caused water-deprived rats to excrete urine at a rate significantly greater, and of osmolality significantly lower, than that recorded in control rats. 4. The increase in medullary solute gradient which typically accompanies antidiuresis was significantly reduced in water-deprived rats pre-treated with AUase. 5. In rats treated with AUase and infused for 4 hr with arginine-vasopressin, there was no significant increase in the medullary solute gradient, whereas this increased markedly in control rats. 6. During the first 24 hr of water deprivation there weas an increase in the rate of Ca excretion by control rats which was abolished by pre-treatment with AUase. 7. The effects of antiserum against a partially purified preparation of rat testicular hyaluronidase (ATase) were studied in water-deprived rats. No evidence was obtained that this enzyme has any influence on renal function. 8. It is concluded that urinary hyaluronidase, but not testicular hyaluronidase, plays an important role in facilitating the urinary concentrating process following antidiuretic stimulus.

A new micro-assay for hyaluronidase activity

A new micro-method for the assay of hyaluronidase activity is described. The method utilizes chondroitin sulfate as a substrate. The degraded products of chondroitin sulfate by hyaluronidase are determined by modified disc gel electrophoresis. The products are first concentrated into a single band in acrylamide gel, and then the band is stained with cetylpyridinium chloride. The absorbance of the band is proportional to the amount of the degraded products. The hyaluronidase activity is therefore linearly related to the absorbance. This procedure represents a sensitive method for the assay of hyaluronidase activity in the serum and urine.

Role of spreading-factor (hyaluronidase) on bronchial response to acetylcholine challenge in dog

Patients with non-specific chronic lung diseases are very sensitive against external challenge. Experiments in human volunteers and in animals it has been shown that many substances can make bronchial system hyperreactive without causing any direct effect. The mechanisms involve in the process of hyperreactive bronchial system are, so far, not clear. It is conceived in this study that membrane permeability might play an important role in this process. This possibility has been studied in anesthetized dogs by subjecting them to hyaluronidase aerosol. This enzyme is supposed to change the membrane permeability by acting on the ground substance. The animals were first challenged with acetylcholine to obtain the basic responsiveness. Then the animals were subjected to hyaluronidase aerosol and challenged with acetylcholine again. Results confirm the hypotheses that membrane permeability plays an important role in hyperreactive bronchial system.

Canine submandibular-gland hyaluronidase. Identification and subcellular distribution

1. Submandibular glands from four species of mammal have been shown to contain a hyaluronidase active at acid pH; glands from dog and cat had a much higher content of this enzyme than has been found in other sources. 2. Product formation from hyaluronate after 24hr. incubation was almost the same as with testicular hyaluronidase, indicating that the enzyme is an endo-poly-beta-hexosaminidase. 3. When submandibular-gland homogenates were fractionated by the scheme developed for liver by de Duve, Pressman, Gianetto, Wattiaux & Appelmans (1955), all the enzymes assayed, except cytochrome c oxidase, were found to occur partly in the soluble fraction and partly in the particulate fractions. Among the particular fractions, the highest specific activity was found in the heavy-mitochondrial fraction for cytochrome c oxidase, in the microsomal fraction for alkaline phosphatase and in the light-mitochondrial fraction for acid phosphatase, beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase and acid-active hyaluronidase. 4. Release of the enzyme activity from the sedimentable fractions occurred in 0.1% Triton X-100 or after high-speed homogenization. 5. Stimulation of dogs by pilocarpine was found to decrease the hyaluronidase content of the submandibular gland by 5% and to cause the occurrence of a corresponding amount of acid-active hyaluronidase in the submandibular saliva. 6. The results are discussed in relation to the subcellular localization of hyaluronidase.

The isolation of hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulphate from kidneys and their reaction with urinary hyaluronidase

1. Extracts of the cortex and the medulla of fresh kidneys from pigs, sheep and dogs were analysed for the presence of acid mucopolysaccharides.2. Acid mucopolysaccharides were found in the kidneys of the three species and were evenly distributed between cortex and medulla.3. The acid mucopolysaccharides isolated from either the medulla or the cortex of kidneys contained equal amounts of sulphated and nonsulphated fractions; these could be identified as chondroitin sulphate and hyaluronic acid, respectively.4. Urinary hyaluronidase was isolated from urine and estimated by means of turbidity measurements.5. Urine hyaluronidase depolymerizes the acid mucopolysaccharides extracted from either the cortex or the medulla of the kidneys from pig, sheep and dog.6. The enzymic activity of urine hyaluronidase could be expressed as units/mg of protein. The optimum pH activity of the enzyme is at about 4.0.