With the burgeoning interest in hyaluronic acid (HA) in recent years, hyaluronidases (HYALs) have come to light for their role in regulating catabolism of HA and its molecular weight (MW) distribution in various tissues. Of the six hyaluronidase-like gene sequences in the human genome, HYALs 1 and 2 are of particular significance because they are the primary hyaluronidases active in human somatic tissue. Perhaps more importantly, for the sake of this review, they cleave anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic high-molecular-weight HA into pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic oligosaccharides. With this, HYALs regulate HA degradation and thus the development and progression of various diseases. Given the dearth of literature focusing specifically on HYALs in the past decade, this review seeks to expound their role in human diseases of the skin, heart, kidneys, and more. The review will delve into the molecular mechanisms and pathways of HYALs and discuss current and potential future therapeutic benefits of HYALs as a clinical treatment.
Keywords: disease; hyaluronic acid; hyaluronidase; molecular weight.