Showing papers in "Physiological Reviews in 1947"

The biological significance of hyaluronic acid and hyaluronidase.

Abstract: This review article (87 references) deals with the biological significance of hyaluronic acid, a mucopolysaccharide acid, and the enzyme hyaluronidase. The author suggests that the relationship between bacterial infection and the hyaluronidase system has perhaps undeservedly been the subject of more investigation than metabolism of the acid or its role in animal physiology and pathology. Topics covered relating to the acid include: occurrence, chemistry, extraction, purification, chemical analysis, instrumental analysis (x-ray diffraction (XRD), viscosity, optical rotation). For hyaluronidase, topics discussed are: occurrence; determination (biological methods, chemical analysis and physicochemical methods); mechanism of hyaluronate degradation; influence of environmental factors on enzyme activity (pH, salts, inhibitors, antisera); bacterial hyaluronidases; substrates. The physiological studies include the functions of ocular fluids, synovial fluid, connective tissues and the skin, which in general must partly depend on the quantity and degree of aggregation of hyaluronic acid. Gels formed by the acid serve partly as the mesodermal cement which holds cells together and also as a protective lubricant and shock-absorber in joints. In some connective tissues, they are part of the viscous barriers which regulate the exchange of metabolites and water.