Lyase

What the ground substance is — and why it gets clogged. The space between cells in your skin isn't empty — it's filled with a gel made mostly of sugars (called GAGs) and proteins that work together like a mesh. Three main GAGs do most of the structural work: chondroitin-4-sulfate, chondroitin-6-sulfate, and dermatan sulfate. They hold water, organize collagen fibers, and store growth factors that signal cells to repair and regenerate. With age and sun damage, this gel gets chemically altered — it hardens, becomes crosslinked, and resists normal turnover 5. The result: poor drainage, slowed nutrient flow to fibroblasts, and a general "clogged" feeling under the skin.

How lyase cuts through the clog. Lyase uses a unique chemistry to break the sugar chains — it doesn't need water (unlike most digestive enzymes) and it doesn't need any cofactor like zinc or calcium. It simply slices through specific links in the sugar chains, producing small fragments that can be cleared through normal lymphatic drainage. Engineered versions of chondroitinase (the lyase family PB72K belongs to) have been shown to be 2.3× more efficient than their natural counterparts when specific residues are optimized 1 — the same engineering approach gives PB72K its pharmaceutical-grade activity and purity.

Unclogging the skin's regenerative environment. When lyase breaks down the aged, stiffened GAG network, it re-opens the spaces between cells — letting water, nutrients, and growth factors move freely again. This is the critical foundation for any regenerative treatment: studies show that GAG breakdown actually happens before collagen remodeling in photoaged skin, meaning the matrix has to be "unclogged" first 2. Without clearing the ground substance, even the strongest collagen-building treatments struggle to reach and activate fibroblasts in the deeper dermis.

Better together — why lyase rarely works alone. Lyase is almost always used alongside other enzymes in a staged sequence. A 2024 cartilage study showed that treating tissue with chondroitinase first, then collagenase, produces far better structural reorganization than either enzyme alone 4. The aesthetic equivalent: lyase dissolves the matrix "cement" holding disorganized collagen in place, allowing collagenase to actually reach the collagen it needs to remodel. For cellulite and hypodermal concerns, pairing lyase with lipase opens the fibrous tissue around fat cells so liberated fatty acids can drain through the lymphatic system instead of re-accumulating.