title: Direct spectrophotometric assay for angiotensin-converting enzyme in serum.
abstract: The appropriate conditions for determining angiotensin-converting enzyme in human serum with use of 2-furanacryloyl-L-phenylalanylglycylglycine as substrate are described. The method, a modification of that reported by Holmquist et al. (Anal. Biochem. 95:540-548, 1979) for purified rabbit lung enzyme, is based on the blue shift of the absorption spectrum that occurs upon hydrolysis of the substrate into furanacryloyl-L-phenylalanine and glycylglycine. The Km value for the substrate is 0.31 mmol/L. Some kinetic properties determined by this method are similar to those previously reported for the purified serum enzyme. Results by the present assay and Cushman's modified method correlate closely (r = 0.995). The normal reference interval for 42 adult donors was 43-137 U/L (mean 90 U/L, SD 23 U/L). The within-run and between-run CVs ranged from 3.0 to 4.1%. Its rapidity, simplicity, sensitivity, and precision make the proposed method very suitable for routine work, clinical investigation, and kinetic and structural studies of the serum enzyme.
mesh_terms: D004796:Clinical Enzyme Tests; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007700:Kinetics; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000097:blood*; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D013053:Spectrophotometry
chemical_list: D009842:Oligopeptides; C038275:2-furanacryloyl-phenylalanyl-glycyl-glycine; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A