Commonly used enzymes in tissue dissociation protocols include:
Collagenase - capable of hydrolyzing collagen and is widely used for separating cells from animal tissues.
Hyaluronidase - catalyzes hydrolysis of 1,4-β-Dglycosidic linkages and is often used in combination with collagenase
Trypsin - a serine protease with a specificity for peptide bonds and is often combined with other enzymes such as collagenase and elastase for tissue dissociation protocols
DNase - added to cell suspensions to minimize the clumping of cells caused by DNA released by damaged cells
Elastase - helps digest tissues that contain high levels of elastin
Pancreatic elastase - serine protease with a specificity for peptide bonds adjacent to neutral amino acids
Chymotrypsin - a protease that preferentially catalyzes the hydrolysis of peptide bonds involving the aromatic amino acids tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine and is used to a limited extent in tissue dissociation protocols