Effectiveness of Hyaluronidase on Hyaluronic Acid Degradation: An Experimental Study

Hyaluronidase (HYAL) is an enzyme that degrades hyaluronic acid (HA), available in both animal-derived and recombinant formulations. Currently, there is limited evidence comparing the enzyme activity of different HYALs and their effects on various HA filler formulations. The authors of this in vitro study aim to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of animal-derived vs recombinant hyaluronidase on degrading different HA filler formulations. The authors tested 4 experimental groups (<i>n</i> = 5 per group): ART FILLER Universal with animal hyaluronidase, ART FILLER Universal with recombinant hyaluronidase, ART FILLER Volume with animal hyaluronidase, and ART FILLER Volume with recombinant hyaluronidase. HA filler degradation was measured using colorimetric assay (absorbance at 585 nm) at 1, 6, 24, and 48 h of incubation. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for statistical analysis (significance set at <i>P</i> < .05). ART FILLER Universal showed significantly greater degradation than ART FILLER Volume at the 1 h time point (<i>P</i> < .05). Recombinant hyaluronidase demonstrated consistently higher degradation activity compared with animal-derived hyaluronidase at all measurement time points, but it was only statistically significant after 1 h of incubation (<i>P</i> < .05). ART FILLER Volume with animal hyaluronidase exhibited the lowest degradation rates among all groups at 6, 24, and 48 h (<i>P</i> < .05). Based on the findings, the authors indicate that recombinant hyaluronidase is more effective than animal-derived hyaluronidase for HA filler degradation over time. ART FILLER Universal degrades more rapidly than ART FILLER Volume during the first hour of enzyme activity. The results highlight important differences in degradation kinetics between HA filler types and hyaluronidase formulations. Further studies are needed to validate these findings and explore their clinical implications. <b>Level of Evidence</b>: 5 (Therapeutic).