Amylase inhibitor from wheat: its action and clinical application

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Clinical Chemistry

Background:

• Amylase isoenzymes, pancreatic and salivary, are crucial diagnostic markers.
• Differentiating isoamylase origins in serum is vital for accurate clinical assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the characteristics of a wheat-derived amylase inhibitor.
• To evaluate the clinical utility of this inhibitor for determining the pancreatic to salivary isoamylase activity ratio (P/S) in serum.

Main Methods:

• Electrophoretic and column chromatographic analysis of the amylase inhibitor.
• Utilizing the inhibitor's specific effect on salivary alpha-amylase for P/S ratio determination.
• Correlation analysis with established electrophoretic methods.

Main Results:

• The amylase inhibitor selectively inhibits salivary alpha-amylase, forming a separable complex.
• A strong correlation was observed between the inhibitor method and electrophoretic methods for P/S ratio.
• Distinct P/S ratios were identified for acute pancreatitis (>8.0) and salivary-type hyperamylasemia (<0.1).

Conclusions:

• The wheat amylase inhibitor is effective for differentiating pancreatic and salivary isoamylase activity.
• The inhibitor method provides a reliable approach for assessing the P/S ratio in serum.
• The method is valuable for diagnosing acute pancreatitis but cannot identify hyperamylasemia due to macroamylase or renal failure.