Photometric and fluorimetric assay of alkaline phosphatase with new coumarin-derived substrates

Summary Two new coumarin-derived synthetic substrates for use in the direct and continuous kinetic assay of alkaline phosphatase are presented. They have been studied with respect to optimum pH (9.5) and rate of enzymatic hydrolysis (1.5–1.8 nmol/min at pH 9.5) by alkaline phosphatase from calf intestine. Detection limits were 0.0005 units/ml for the photometric assay, and 0.00001 units/ml for the fluorimetric one. The relatively longwave shifted absorption and emission maxima of the new substrates in addition to the large Stoke's shifts allow the determination of enzyme activities in a spectral range distinctly outside the intrinsic fluorescence of biological matter such as serum.