They had very limited stability in aqueous solution with a consequent loss of catalytic activity.This was changed with the introduction of immobilized enzymes (10-12). Free or water-soluble enzymes were immobilized or made insoluble by combination with some inert matrix either by entrapment or chemical reaction to ensure insolubility. In either case, it was shown that enzymes retained activity for long periods of time. Thus, it has been noted that a single sample of immobilized glucose oxidase has been used for several thousand determinations (10).The new developments and the proliferation of publications and patents on immobilized enzymes have led to widespread use and intensive work with automated instrumentation and enzyme electrodes. The high-speed and rather sophisticated instrumentation has, of course, been a tremendous asset in the clinical chemistry laboratory.Enzyme electrodes have probably been the most interesting application of immobilized enzymes. These electrodes have been the combination of an insoluble enzyme with some porous organic polymer which is used as a coating for an electrochemical sensor. These have been especially useful in such systems as whole blood or biological media, where sample preparation has been a major problem.The format of this article continues to be that which was used previously. Again, as was done in the last review, the enzyme nomenclature follows the recommendations of the International Commission of Enzyme Nomenclature (13).
LITERATURE CITED(1) . M. Fishman and H. F.