collagenase
Meaning of collagenase: An enzyme that cuts the body's main structural protein, used as a treatment where unwanted cords of that protein need dissolving.
Definition of collagenase
Collagenase is any enzyme that breaks down collagen, the fibrous protein that gives skin, tendon, bone and scar tissue their strength. Collagen resists most enzymes because of the tight triple helix it forms, so specialized enzymes are needed to cut it. The body makes its own for tissue remodeling, and bacterial versions are purified for use in medicine and in laboratory work.
Why does collagen need a special enzyme?
Three protein chains wind around one another into a rope, and thousands of these ropes bundle into fibers. The structure is what makes collagen strong, and it also buries the points at which an ordinary enzyme would cut. Collagenases are shaped to unwind or reach into that helix. Human versions belong to a family of enzymes that depend on a zinc atom at their active site, and they are made in an inactive form that must be switched on where needed.
What does the body use it for?
Remodeling is constant. Wound healing requires the temporary collagen laid down early to be removed and replaced with organized fibers, and the same machinery reshapes bone, allows the womb lining to shed and rebuild, and lets cells move through tissue. Balance is maintained by natural inhibitors. When the balance tips toward breakdown, cartilage is destroyed in arthritis and vessel wall plaques become unstable. When cancer cells produce excess collagenase, they cut a path through surrounding tissue, which is one step in invasion.
How is it used as a treatment?
| Use | What the enzyme does |
|---|---|
| Dupuytren contracture | Dissolves the fibrous cord bending the finger |
| Peyronie disease | Breaks down the plaque causing curvature |
| Wound care ointments | Removes dead tissue without cutting |
| Laboratory tissue work | Separates cells from tissue for culture or transplant |
What are the limits of using it?
The enzyme cannot distinguish unwanted collagen from the collagen holding neighboring structures together, so it is injected precisely into the target and its spread is a genuine concern. Tendon rupture and skin tearing are recognized complications of the injections used for finger contracture, and bruising and swelling are usual. Preparations for medical use come from Clostridium histolyticum, a bacterium that produces the enzyme in quantity, and being a foreign protein it can provoke an immune response with repeated courses.
Used in a sentence
Collagenase injection was offered as an alternative to surgical release of the contracture.
Good to know
Injected collagenase cannot distinguish target tissue from the collagen supporting nearby structures, and tendon rupture and skin tears are recognized complications.
Word origin
Where “collagenase” comes from
The name combines collagen, from the Greek kolla meaning glue, with the ending -ase, which marks an enzyme.