Glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) is a pivotal enzyme involved in intermediary metabolism, catalyzing the oxidation of glucose to glucono-δ-lactone while reducing nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) or its phosphate form (NADP⁺) to NADH or NADPH. This reaction links glucose metabolism to cellular redox balance and biosynthetic pathways. Assay kits for glucose dehydrogenase provide sensitive and specific tools to quantify GDH activity or glucose concentration via GDH-catalyzed reactions, supporting research in metabolism, disease, and biotechnology.

Role of Glucose Dehydrogenase in Intermediary Metabolism

• Energy Metabolism: By oxidizing glucose, GDH contributes to the generation of reducing equivalents (NADH/NADPH), which are essential for ATP production and anabolic reactions.
• Pentose Phosphate Pathway: GDH catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, supplying NADPH for reductive biosynthesis and reactive oxygen species detoxification.
• Biosynthesis: NADPH produced by GDH activity supports fatty acid and nucleotide synthesis, crucial for cell growth and repair.
• Metabolic Regulation: GDH activity influences cellular redox status and metabolic flux, impacting processes like insulin secretion and oxidative stress responses.

Analytical Features

• Sensitivity: Assays detect GDH activity as low as 0.01 mU and glucose concentrations from micromolar to millimolar ranges.
• Specificity: GDH assays are highly specific for glucose but may have some interference from other sugars depending on enzyme source and assay formulation.
• Sample Compatibility: Suitable for mammalian tissues, blood, cell lysates, and industrial samples.
• Format: Commonly provided in 96-well microplate formats for high-throughput screening.

Applications

• Metabolic Research: Quantifying GDH activity to study carbohydrate metabolism, redox balance, and biosynthesis.
• Clinical Diagnostics: Measuring blood glucose levels with improved specificity and reduced interference compared to glucose oxidase methods.
• Biotechnology: Monitoring GDH in fermentation and bioconversion processes.
• Pharmacology: Evaluating drug effects on GDH activity and glucose metabolism.
• Environmental and Food Industry: Glucose quantification in food products and fermentation monitoring.

Glucose dehydrogenase assay kits are powerful tools for studying intermediary metabolism by enabling sensitive, specific quantification of GDH activity and glucose levels. Their enzymatic basis aligns closely with physiological metabolic pathways, making them valuable in research, clinical diagnostics, and industrial applications. Advances in assay design continue to improve their accuracy, throughput, and ease of use, facilitating deeper insights into glucose metabolism and related biochemical processes.