Not available outside of the UK & Ireland.

Application

Amylase Activity Assay Kit has been used to determine the activity of amylase.

General description

Amylase enzymes are glycoside hydrolases, which cleave glucan linkages in polysaccharides such as starch or glycogen to release polysaccharide molecules. α-Amylase is found in animals, plants, and many fungi. In mammals, α-amylase is the predominant form of amylase and is one of the major enzymes of dietary digestion. Both the activity and the stability of α-amylase is dependent on calcium ions. In humans, α-amylase levels are highest in pancreatic and salivary secretions. Increased blood and urine levels of amylase occur due to pancreatic disorders and salivary trauma. Increased salivary amylase activity is also a marker for increased sympathetic nervous system activity.

Principle

The Amylase Activity Assay kit quantifies amylase activity in a variety of biological samples. The assay is quick, convenient, and sensitive. In this kit, amylase activity is determined using a coupled enzymatic assay, which results in a colorimetric (405 nm) product, proportional to the amount of substrate, ethylidene-pNP-G7, cleaved by the amylase. One unit is the amount of amylase that cleaves ethylidene-pNP-G7 to generate 1.0 µmole of p-nitrophenol per minute at 25 °C.

Suitability

Suitable for the quantification of amylase activity in a variety of biological samples.