Determination of alpha-amylase in biological fluids using a new substrate (beta-2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl-maltopentaoside).

A novel substrate, beta-2-chloro-4-nitrophenylmaltopentaoside (beta CNPG5), was used for the enzyme-coupled determination of alpha-amylase in biological fluids. It was hydrolyzed specifically by alpha-amylase to about 90% producing beta-2-chloro-4-nitrophenylmaltoside (beta CNPG2) and maltotriose. Under the assay conditions, the absorption of 2-chloro-4-nitrophenol (CNP) generated by the secondary reaction of alpha-glucosidase and beta-glucosidase as auxiliary enzymes is about twice the absorption of 4-nitrophenol (PNP), which is the end product currently measured in some alpha-amylase assay methods. The sensitivity of the assay using beta CNPG5 was thus much higher than that using 4-nitrophenyl-maltopentaoside (PNPG5) as substrate. The absorption of CNP did not fluctuate with temperature or with pH between 6.8 and 7.2, which are the conditions normally used for determination of amylase activity in biological fluids.