ENHANCEMENT OF ENZYME-ACTIVITY IN AQUEOUS-ORGANIC SOLVENT MIXTURES

The activities of poyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, acid phosphatase and trypsin were measured in the presence of four different water miscible solvents, acetonitrile; N,N, dimethylformamide; tetrahydrofuran and d ioxane. Stimulation of enzymatic activities was observed in all the ca ses at a specific concentration range of cosolvent added which cannot be correlated either with log P or denaturation capacity. Also, no sig nificant structural changes were observed by fluorescence studies even at the cosolvent concentrations where activity increases were signifi cant.