[Effect of acid polysaccharides on properties of pancreatic proteases]

The use of acid polysaccharides (sodium alginate, pectin, carrageenan, etc.) as gel-forming agents in the manufacture of artificial foods excites the interest in the study of their effects on the enzymes of the gastrointestinal tract. In this connection, the authors investigated the action of various acid polysaccharides on the kinetics of the hydrolysis of low-molecular substrates catalyzed by pancreatic proteinases. It was shown that the intereactions between acid polysaccharides and enzymes produce effects which can be fully explained by changes in the apparent ionization constants of the ionogenic groups which participate in the catalytic reaction. The extent of the effects observed in presumably determined by the strength of the electrostatic potential which is generated by polyanions.