Occurrence of biliary amylase in vertebrates: Influence of NaCl and pH

Abstract

• 1.

  1. Comparative studies on biliary amylase were done in fish, amphibian, reptile, bird and mammal.

• 2.

  2. Pancreatic amylase is tenfold and eightfold more active in Passer domesticus and Corvus spledens respectively than biliary amylase.

• 3.

  3. Amylase in bile is either absent or with only little activity in carnivore vertebrates. The reducing sugar produced was 4.5 mg and 5.7 mg/100 ml in toad and Calotes respectively.

• 4.

  4. NaCl dependence is pronounced and leads to about 50 per cent increase in activity.

• 5.

  5. Optimum pH 4.9, for amylolytic activity in bile and liver of crow, corresponds with the luminal pH of the duodenum.