HYALURONIDASE ACTIVITY IN GYNECOLOGICAL CANCER TISSUES WITH DIFFERENTMETASTATIC FORMS

We investigated hyaluronidase activity in gynaecological normal and ma lignant tissues. Hyaluronidase activity in culture medium of tissue sp ecimens was detected by hyaluronic acid zymography and quantified by d ensitometry. Hyaluronidase activity was shown as one dominant band (mo lecular weight 65 kDa) at pH 3.5. Hyaluronidase activity was significa ntly higher in normal ovary (P < 0.05) and normal endometrium (P < 0.0 5) than in normal cervix. One dominant 65-kDa hyaluronidase was expres sed in 100% (74 out of 14) of ovarian cancer tissues and in 91% (10 ou t of 11) of endometrial cancer tissues. However, hyaluronidase activit y was not observed in cervical cancer tissues. Hyaluronidase activity was significantly higher in ovarian (P < 0.001) and endometrial (P < 0 .07) cancer tissues than in cervical cancer tissue and was significant ly higher in ovarian cancer tissue than in endometrial cancer tissue ( P < 0.05). These facts suggest that the cancer cells make use of the o riginal characteristic of the organ to invade and metastasize. Moreove r, these results reflect the difference in metastatic forms and are su ggestive of a strong relationship between hyaluronidase activity and i nvasion and metastasis of ovarian and endometrial cancers compared wit h cervical cancer.