[The effect of ionizing radiation on enzymes. X. The effect of gamma irradiation on pancreatic amylase in pancreatin].

The present paper examined the effect of ionizing radiation (source, 60Co) within a range of doses from 10 to 120 kGy on amylolytic efficacy of pancreatin of two types: pancreatin obtained by isolation from an extract of the pancreas (sample 1) and pancreatin containing parts of the pancreatic tissue, but with higher amylolytic efficacy (sample 2). Efficacy was expressed in F.I.P. units. As shown in the chart, a percentual decrease in efficacy is higher in the more active sample 2. Graphical representation is in good agreement with the statistical evaluation of the significance between the decreases in efficacy in both samples irradiated with doses of 30 and 120 kGy, if the median test was used and probability was calculated with the use of Fisher's test. This is not, however, the case of irradiation with a dose of 10 kGy. The residual, graphically corrected efficacy after irradiation with a sterilizing dose of 25 kGy was 84.1% (sample 1) and 80.3% (sample 2). With the maximal dose used, the residual efficacy was 43.7% (sample 1) and 36.7% (sample 2).