Worthington Tissue Dissociation Guide

Dissociating Enzymes: Papain

Papain is a sulfhydryl protease from Carica papaya latex. Papain has wide specificity and it will degrade most protein substrates more extensively than the pancreatic proteases. It also exhibits esterase activity.

With some tissues papain has proved less damaging and more effective than other proteases. Huettner and Baughman (1986) describe a method using papain to obtain high yields of viable, morphologically intact cortical neurons from postnatal rats.

More Information: Worthington Papain

Next: Chymotrypsin

Tissue Tables (references, grouped by tissue type and species)

Adipose/Fat Adrenal Bone Brain
Cartilage Colon Endothelial Epithelial
Eye Heart Intestine Kidney
Liver Lung Lymph nodes Mammary
Miscellaneous Muscle Neural Pancreas
Parotid Pituitary Prostate Reproductive
Scales Skin Spleen Stem
Thymus Thyroid/Parathyroid Tonsil Tumor

Note: We have not limited the references listed to only those papers using Worthington enzymes. Generally speaking, the tissue dissociation enzymes offered by Worthington can be used interchangeably for most preparations cited.