Hyaluronidase
/ˌhaɪ.əˈlʊr.ə.nɪ.deɪs/noun
An enzyme that breaks down hyaluronic acid and related hyaluronan polymers in connective tissue.
Did you know?Hyaluronidase was historically nicknamed the “spreading factor” because it increases tissue permeability, helping substances—and in some venoms, toxins—move through connective tissue.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὕαλος (hýalos)
“Glass or a transparent substance; the remote root behind the “hyal-” element.”
19th Century
Scientific Greek/Latin
hyaline
“Glasslike, transparent, or resembling glass; formed from Greek hýalos with a scientific suffix.”
19th Century
Chemistry
uronic acid
“A sugar-derived acid containing both an aldehyde-derived group and a carboxylic acid group.”
1930s
Biochemistry
hyaluronidase
“The enzyme name formed from hyaluronic acid or hyaluronan plus the enzyme suffix -idase, indicating breakdown.”
Modern English
English
hyaluronidase
“An enzyme that depolymerizes hyaluronan, a major component of the extracellular matrix.”
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