Interference of hexosamines in the Lowry reaction

Glucosamine and galactosamine react with the reagents in the Lowry test for protein and give a similar, though not identical, blue-colored product. When present in solution with albumin, they give erroneously high values in the Lowry reaction and thus interfer with protein determination. It is likel...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAnalytical biochemistry Vol. 44; no. 2; pp. 404 - 410
Main Author Kenneth Herd, J.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Elsevier Inc 01.12.1971
Subjects
Amino Acids - analysis
Animals
Cattle
Chemical Phenomena
Chemistry
Color
Evaluation Studies as Topic
Galactosamine
Glucosamine
Glycosaminoglycans
Hexosamines
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Hydrolysis
Mannose
Methods
Proteins - analysis
Serum Albumin, Bovine - analysis
Spectrophotometry
Tryptophan
Tyrosine
Ultraviolet Rays
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Summary:Glucosamine and galactosamine react with the reagents in the Lowry test for protein and give a similar, though not identical, blue-colored product. When present in solution with albumin, they give erroneously high values in the Lowry reaction and thus interfer with protein determination. It is likely that they will interfere with the determination of other proteins by the Lowry reaction, but this has not been shown. The presence of hexosamines in AMPS should not interfere with the determinations of the protein content of unhydrolyzed AMPS since hexosamines in unhydrolyzed AMPS are mostly acetylated and the acetylated hexosamines react imperceptibly at the concentrations encountered in the mucopolysaccharide analyses. If protein determinations by the Lowry method are performed on AMPS hydrolyzed in strong acids, as for amino acid analysis, the result could be erroneously high due to the free hexosamines liberated by the hydrolysis.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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ISSN:0003-2697
1096-0309
DOI:10.1016/0003-2697(71)90227-2