The relationship between hyaluronidase activity and hyaluronic acid concentration in sera from normal controls and from patients with disseminated neoplasm

Serum hyaluronidase activity (HAE) and hyaluronic acid (HA) concentration were measured in sera from patients with disseminated neoplasm and compared to those of normal controls. The serum HAE activity in disseminated neoplasm (mean, 12.6 mu mol N-acetylglucosamine (NAG)/min/l; range, 5.2-24.7 mu mol NAG/min/l) was significantly lower (t = 6.7, p < 0.001) than in normal controls (mean, 17.1 mu mol NAG/min/l; range, 11.5-27.0 mu mol NAG/min/l). The serum HA concentration in patients with disseminated neoplasm (mean, 8199.7 mu g/l; range, 42.0-496000 mu g/l) was significantly higher (t = 2.63, 0.01 > p > 0.001) than in normal age-matched controls (mean, 55.6 mu g/l range, 10.0-348.0 mu g/l). A negative correlation was found between the serum HAE activity and the HA concentration (r = 0.45, t = 5.92, p < 0.001). The possible reasons for the low serum HAE activity and the raised serum HA concentration in patients with disseminated neoplasm and the negative correlation between the results are discussed. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science B.V.