Polyvinyl alcohol-glutaraldehyde network as a support for protein immobilisation

Polyvinyl alcohol-glutaraldehyde (PVA-glut) network was synthesised in bead and disc forms and used for protein immobilisation. Xanthine oxidase, alpha -amylase and amyloglucosidase were covalently fixed on the beads yielding preparations with specific activities retention of 72.3%, 1.6% and 1.4%, respectively. Km of xanthine oxidase PVA-glut beads (24 plus or minus 4 mu M) was slightly higher than that estimated for the soluble enzyme (16 plus or minus 2 mu M). Antigens from Schistosoma mansoni were covalently fixed onto PVA-glut discs and ELISA was carried out. The relationship between the amount of fixed antigen and the results obtained by ELISA showed a hyperbolic curve and the saturation of antigen-antibody complex was achieved at the plateau.