Liquid-liquid extraction of lactate dehydrogenase from muscle using polymer-bound triazine dyes

An extract from porcine muscle containing soluble enzymes has been partitioned between the two liquid phases of an aqueous, biphasic system consisting of dextran, polyethylene glycol, and water. The influence of polymer-bound triazine dyes (Cibacron blue F3G-A and Procion yellow HE-3G) on the partition of lactate dehydrogenase and total protein was studied. The effects of pH and concentrations of polymers and buffer on this so-called affinity partitioning were also determined. The two-phase systems were used in extraction procedures for purification of lactate dehydrogenase to a specific activity of 456-494 U (7.6-8.4 mukat) per mg protein. The use of these systems for extraction of enzymes in technical scale is discussed.