Assays of serum lipase by the "BALB-DTNB method" mechanized for use with discrete and continuous-flow analyzers.

We successfully adapted the dimercaprol (BAL) tributyrate-5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) method (J. Biochem. 81: 361, 1977) for assay of lipase in human serum to a discrete analyzer (the TBA 880) (I) or a continuous-flow analyzer (AutoAnalyzer, Type II) (II). In both, BAL-tributyrate is used as substrate, in combination with serum esterase inhibitors and a chromogenic reagent for the SH group of the liberated BAL. Serum lipase activities of patients with pancreatic diseases, measured at 90 or 40 samples per hour by I or II, respectively, correlated well with those measured by the corresponding manual method or by Kaplan's radioassay (Anal. Biochem. 33: 213, 1970). The correlation coefficients were all greater than 0.95, and the coefficients of variation were less than 8%, showing the practical usefulness of these procedures.