Elsevier

Analytical Biochemistry

Volume 183, Issue 2, December 1989, Pages 275-278
Analytical Biochemistry

A procedure for eliminating interferences in the lowry method of protein determination

https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-2697(89)90479-XGet rights and content

Abstract

A modification of the Lowry assay for the quantitative protein measurement in the presence of interfering materials has been developed. The method is based on a precipitation with a single-phase hexane:isopropanol solvent system and later resuspension of protein pellets with sodium dodecyl sulfate and deoxycholate. The new procedure eliminates the interference caused by Triton X-100, phospholipids, or dithiothreitol providing yields higher than 95% and seems to be especially suitable for protein determination on membrane preparations in samples with small volumes and/or very low protein concentrations.

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    According to Korean regulations, U.S. Pharmacopoeia [1], and European Pharmacopoeia [2], the Lowry method is thought to be the most accurate method for determining the protein concentrations of licensed vaccines. However, various substances used for vaccine production, such as sucrose, Triton X-100, EDTA, Tris–HCl, lactose, and amino acid derivatives, may interfere with protein determinations [3–10]. Therefore, several modifications, including such as sodium deoxycholate (DOC) treatment, trichloroacetic acid (TCA) precipitation, or heat treatment, have been investigated for removal of interfering substances [5–9]; these modifications are included in the method referred to as the “conventional Lowry method.”

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