{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,29]],"date-time":"2026-08-29T05:18:13Z","timestamp":1787980693263,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787788800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Medical University of Silesia","award":["BNW-1-010\/N\/3\/F"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BNW-1-010\/N\/3\/F"]}]},{"award":["BNW-1-010\/N\/3\/F"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BNW-1-010\/N\/3\/F"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/005k7hp45","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Polymers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a high-molecular-weight glycosaminoglycan whose cross-linked hydrogels are widely used as injectable fillers; their controlled degradation is clinically important but, in practice, achievable only enzymatically with hyaluronidase. Here we compared the enzymatic, ultrasonic and photothermal degradation of a single cross-linked HA macromolecular network and characterised the resulting structural, thermal and chromatographic changes. A cross-linked HA hydrogel (Regenyal Idea, 25 mg\/mL) was embedded in an ex vivo porcine skin matrix and treated in six groups: untreated control; hyaluronidase; microfocused ultrasound (7 MHz, 3 mm focal depth); and irradiation with 1064 nm Nd:YAG, diode or alexandrite lasers. Degradation was characterised by FT-IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). FT-IR showed retention of the HA backbone with partial loss of the cross-linked network, while TGA revealed treatment-dependent decreases in thermal stability. By HPLC, hyaluronidase released the most soluble HA (58.2 \u00b1 2.9% at day 1; ~88% plateau by day 2). Among the energy-based methods, only the 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser produced comparable degradation (57.3 \u00b1 5.2%), whereas microfocused ultrasound, the diode and the alexandrite lasers released little soluble HA (3.2\u20135.3%). The wavelength dependence is consistent with a water-mediated photothermal scission of the HA chains. These findings identify long-pulsed 1064 nm irradiation as an effective non-enzymatic route to degrade the cross-linked hyaluronic acid macromolecule, with hyaluronidase remaining the reference standard.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/polym18172077","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T08:02:27Z","timestamp":1787817747000},"page":"2077","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Enzymatic Versus Energy-Based Degradation of the Cross-Linked Hyaluronic Acid Macromolecule: A Comparative Physicochemical Study of Hyaluronidase, Focused Ultrasound and Laser Irradiation"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1763-6676","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna","family":"Deda","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Practical Cosmetology and Skin Diagnostics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia, 40-084 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6066-3127","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"S\u0142awomir","family":"Wilczy\u0144ski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Basic Biomedical Science, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia, Jedno\u015bci Street 8b, 41-208 Sosnowiec, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3524-0675","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Selin","family":"Sagbas Suner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Terzioglu Campus, Canakkale 17100, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5179-1370","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aneta","family":"Ostr\u00f3\u017cka-Cie\u015blik","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia, Jedno\u015bci Street 8b, 41-208 Sosnowiec, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2000-1484","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna","family":"Stolecka-Warzecha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Basic Biomedical Science, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia, Jedno\u015bci Street 8b, 41-208 Sosnowiec, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0120-530X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nurettin","family":"Sahiner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Canakkale 17100, Turkey"},{"name":"Department of Bioengineering, U. A. Whitaker College of Engineering, Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, FL 33965, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (2024). ISAPS International Survey on Aesthetic\/Cosmetic Procedures 2023, ISAPS."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e5934","DOI":"10.1097\/GOX.0000000000005934","article-title":"Hyaluronic Acid Filler Longevity in the Mid-Face: A Review of 33 Magnetic Resonance Imaging Studies","volume":"12","author":"Master","year":"2024","journal-title":"Plast. Reconstr. Surg. Glob. Open"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e70879","DOI":"10.1111\/jocd.70879","article-title":"Long-Term Persistence of Hyaluronic Acid Fillers: A Clinical Illustration and Implications for Practice","volume":"25","author":"Prager","year":"2026","journal-title":"J. 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Devices"}],"container-title":["Polymers"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2073-4360\/18\/17\/2077\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,29]],"date-time":"2026-08-29T04:25:02Z","timestamp":1787977502000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2073-4360\/18\/17\/2077"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]]},"references-count":22,"journal-issue":{"issue":"17","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]}},"alternative-id":["polym18172077"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/polym18172077","relation":{},"ISSN":["2073-4360"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2073-4360","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]]}}}