Activity of arylamidases toward 6β-naphthylamides of L-amino acids was studied in
the blood serum from 110 healthy women between the 6th and 36th weeks of pregnancy. A
regular increase in the enzymatic activity was demonstrated toward all substrates under examination,
particularly in the presence of alanyl-, leucyl- and lysyl-β-naphthylamides, most pronounced
in the last trimester of gestation. A correlation between oxytocinase and arylamidases activity was
demonstrated, suggesting a possibility of using the enzymatic measurement as a diagnostic test in
the normal course of pregnancy.
γ-Glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) was determined in the colostrum and milk of
38 patients, 14 days postpartum. The results obtained were compared with the enzymatic
activity in colostra of some animals. The human colostrum has been found to contain the
highest enzymatic activity which decreases during the first 8 days and then remains stationary.
The high GGT activity in the colostrum and milk and histochemical localization of the
enzyme in the secretory epithelium of the milk gland indicate its participation in resorption
processes of amino acids and peptides.
Amylase activity was measured in normal sera and serum of patients with acute
pancreatitis and mumps. A significant decrease of enzyme activity in patients with acute
pancreatitis was observed after incubation with specific antibody against hog pancreas amylase.
A minimal effect of the antibody on normal serum and on that from mumps patients was
noted. A comparable effect was observed in the presence of glyceraldehyde used as an amylase
differentiating factor.
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