Changes Associated with Hyaluronidase Enzyme in Skin Connective Tissue: An Experimental and Qualitative Study in Rats

Hyaluronidase enzyme is frequently used by plastic surgeons in aesthetic procedures to break down hyaluronic acid. The potential benefits of hyaluronidase in the clinical management of conditions associated with diseases and aging in the skin connective tissue are a subject of ongoing research. In this study, we investigated the changes associated with the hyaluronidase enzyme injected subcutaneously into the dorsal region of rats in the skin connective tissue.

This is an experimental and qualitative study. A total of 24 Wistar albino rats were divided into three groups of eight each: Control (Group 1), Sham (Group 2), and Experimental (Group 3). In the study, no procedure was performed on Group 1, normal saline was injected into Group 2, and hyaluronidase enzyme was injected subcutaneously into Group 3. At the end of the 14th day, sections were taken from the skin connective tissue of the injection site, and histochemical examination and biochemical analyses were performed on these sections. This research received no external funding.

In Group 1, the collagen fibers, vessels, and layers of the epidermis and dermis appeared normal. In Group 2, the normal organization of collagen fibers was disrupted in some areas, and the connective tissue was edematous. In Group 3, a decrease in collagen fiber density in some areas, structural abnormalities in collagen and elastic fibers, and edema were detected. TGF-β1 and MMP-1 measurement results were compared between groups, and no statistically significant difference was found (p > 0.05).

The results of this study indicate that the hyaluronidase enzyme is associated with a decrease in collagen fiber quantity, structural abnormalities in fibers, edema, and the development of impaired elastic fiber structures in skin connective tissue.