alpha-GLUCOSIDASE hydrolyzes the terminal, non-reducing 1,4-linked alpha-D-glucose residues with release of alpha-D-glucose. alpha-Glucosidase is needed by all animals to hydrolyze maltose to glucose for use as a food. Aberrant activities have been implicated in diseases such as diabetes and Pompe disease. Simple, direct and automation-ready procedures for measuring alpha-glucosidase activity are becoming popular in Research and Drug Discovery. BioAssay Systems' QuantiChrom alpha-Glucosidase Assay Kit is designed to measure alpha-glucosidase activity directly in biological samples without pretreatment. The improved method utilizes p-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside that is hydrolyzed specifically by alpha-glucosidase into a yellow colored product (maximal absorbance at 405nm). The rate of the reaction is directly proportional to the enzyme activity. This product is for Research Use only and is not intended for diagnostic purposes.