α-Amylase Activity Assay Kit

The kit is suitable for the determination of α-amylase activity in blood, saliva, urine, grains, and other agricultural samples.

Simple, direct, and automation-ready procedures for measuring amylase activity are very desirable. The α-Amylase Activity Assay Kit method involves two steps. First, α -amylase in the sample hydrolyses starch and the product is rapidly converted to glucose by α-glucosidase and hydrogen peroxide by glucose oxidase. Next, the hydrogen peroxide concentration is determined with a colorimetric reagent at 585 nm.

Amylase belongs to the family of glycoside hydrolase enzymes that break down starch into glucose molecules by acting on α-1,4- glycosidic bonds. The α-amylases cleave at random locations on the starch chain, ultimately yielding maltotriose and maltose, glucose and "limit dextrin" from amylose and amylopectin. In mammals, α-amylase is a major digestive enzyme. Increased enzyme levels in humans are associated with salivary trauma, mumps due to inflammation of the salivary glands, pancreatitis, and renal failure.