Retaining activity of enzymes after capture and extraction within a single-drop of biological fluid using immunoaffinity membranes

•Semi-quantitative analysis of enzyme activity in single-drop of biological fluid.•Microfluidic separation of enzymes by immunoaffinity membranes.•Antibody-captured enzymes retain partial activity. The purpose of this study was the measurement of enzyme activity within a single-drop of biological fluid after micropurification. Esterase and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) retained their enzymatic activities after being captured by membrane-immobilized antibodies, which were prepared by non-denaturing two-dimensional electrophoresis, transferred to polyvinylidene difluoride and then stained by Ponceau S. The activities of both enzymes were also measured after being captured by antibodies and biotinylated antibodies bound to membrane-immobilized protein A or avidin, respectively. After esterase and LDH were captured from biological samples by membrane-immobilized protein A or avidin, their activities were semi-quantitatively measured on the surface of the membrane using fluorescence determination. More than 51% of enzyme activities were retained even after the enzymes were captured by biotinylated antibody bound to membrane-immobilized avidin and eluted by rinsing with 5μL of 1% Triton X-100, compared with the activities of the enzyme on the immunoaffinity membrane.