MICRO-DETERMINATION OF POLYAMINES WITH SNAKE-VENOM OXIDASE

An accurate micromethod suitable for the assay of polyamines in concentrations of 2-30 nmol is described. It is based on the oxidation of polyamines by purified fractions of crude L-amino acid oxidase from Russell''s viper venom. By a combination of 2 enzyme fractions, one which oxidizes polyamines and amino acids (AAP) and another which oxidizes only amino acids (AA), the technique can accurately determine polyamine concentrations in extracts of sera which may not be free of amino acids. Experiments described show 90-100% recovery of added polyamines with varying amounts of amino acids. Polyamines added to serum showed recoveries ranging from 96-98%. The enzymes do not oxidize histamine and epinephrine and are very stable. The method does not require sophisticated equipment and is suitable for screening a large number of clinical samples to assess the importance of polyamines as a diagnostic test or their prognostic value in diseases like cancer.