Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase. A new, rapid, sensitive radiometric assay and its application to the study of the enzyme in rat tissues

Abstract

A simple and convenient assay for indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase has been developed. This depends on the conversion of D-[ring-2-14C]tryptophan to [14C]formate, excess substrate is removed by adsorption onto charcoal. This assay, which is 20-fold more sensitive than previous procedures, is applicable both to crude extracts and to large numbers of samples. Activity in rat tissues is very much lower than in those of the rabbit; measureable activity is found only in the stomach, spleen, intestine and kidney. Enzyme activity in the rat intestine was increased by 50% in rats pretreated with L-tryptophan.