Enzyme Assay

Enzyme assays are laboratory methods for measuring enzymatic activity. They are vital for the study of enzyme kinetics and enzyme inhibition. The essential requirements for enzyme assays are described and frequently occurring errors and pitfalls as well as their avoidance are discussed. The main factors, which must be considered for assaying enzymes, are temperature, pH, ionic strength and the proper concentrations of the essential components like substrates and enzymes. Standardization of these parameters would be desirable, but the diversity of the features of different enzymes prevents unification of assay conditions. Nevertheless, many enzymes, especially those from mammalian sources, possess a pH optimum near the physiological pH of 7.5, and the body temperature of about 37 °C can serve as assay temperature, although because of experimental reasons frequently 25 °C is preferred. But in many cases the particular features of the individual enzyme dictate special assay conditions, which can deviate considerably from recommended conditions

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