Separation of Serum 5′-Nucleotidase and Non-specific Alkaline Phosphatase Activities

Abstract

PHOSPHATASES which exhibit a high specificity for the hydrolysis of nucleoside-5′-phosphates (5′-nucleotidases¹) usually occur in association with non-specific alkaline phosphatases, for example, in blood serum. Methods which have been used for the estimation of the relative activities of the two enzymes in serum have depended on comparison of the rates of hydrolysis of two different phosphate substrates², or on the specific inhibition of 5′-nucleotidase by nickel ions³; few attempts have been made to separate the two types of enzyme activity⁵. This communication describes the resolution of the 5′-nucleotidase and alkaline phosphatase activities of human blood serum by ion-exchange chromatography and gel-filtration.