Spectrophotometric determination of lipases, lysophospholipases, and phospholipases

Spectrophotometric techniques for determining the activities of lipases, lysophospholipases, and phospholipases are reviewed. These methods involve the use of thioester substrate analogs as well as omega-nitrophenyl derivatives of the corresponding lipids. The most promising results are obtained with the thioester substrate analogs. Mono- and diacylglycerol lipases are assayed by using rac-1-S-decanoyl-1-mercapto-2,3-propanediol and rac-1,2-S,O-didecanoyl-1-mercapto-2,3-propanediol, respectively. Phospholipases A1 and A2 are determined by using rac-1,2-S,O-didecanoyl-3-phosphocholine-1-mercapto-2,3-propanediol and 2-hexadecanoylthio-1-ethyl-phosphocholine, respectively. Lysophospholipases are measured by using 2-hexadecanoylthio-1-ethyl-phosphocholine. Phospholipase C is assayed with rac-1-S-phosphocholine-2,3-O-didecanoyl-1-mercapto-2,3-propanediol. Thioester substrate analog assay procedures are more rapid, sensitive, convenient, continuous, and less expensive than the classical radiochemical techniques.