Use of a quartz crystal impedance technique to monitor the degradation of chondroitin sulfate by hyaluronidase

A new quartz crystal impedance hyaluronidase sensing technique, which is ba sed on the changes in viscosity and density during the enzymatic hydrolysis of chondroitin sulfate (CS) by hyaluronidase (HAse), is established in thi s paper. The variations of equivalent circuit parameters of the piezoelectr ic quartz crystal (PQC) during the enzymatic degradation are discussed. The initial hydrolysis rate of CS by HAse is obtained from the changes in visc osity and density with incubation time. Kinetic parameters (the Michaelis c onstant K-m and the maximum hydrolysis rate V-max) of the degradation proce ss are estimated by using a linear method of Lineweaver-Burk plot. K-m is 2 .73 +/- 0.20 mg ml(-1) and V-max is -(5.43 +/- 0.38) x 10(-4) kg m(-2).s(-1 /2).min(-1). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.