Hydrogen peroxide generation by the Weissberger biogenic oxidative system during hyaluronan degradation

By applying the enzyme catalase, our study on hyaluronan degradation confirms the generation of hydrogen peroxide using the Weissberger biogenic oxidative system (WBOS), which is composed of ascorbate and cupric ions. Dynamic viscosities of hyaluronan (HA) solutions influenced by WBOS in the absence and presence of catalase were analysed by rotational viscometry. Molar masses of HAs were determined by size-exclusion chromatography with multi-angle laser-light scattering. Our results show that catalase dose-dependently inhibited the degradation of HA macromolecules, which presumably confirms the generation of H2O2 in the reaction system. This has implications in range of biomedical applications such as arthritic joint treatment, tissue engineering, ocular and cosmetic surgery.