# BAPNA
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**BAPNA**, which stands for **Nα-benzoyl-l-arginine-p-nitroanilide** is a "synthetic peptide" that we can use to in the [[labs]] to detect the activity of a [[protease]] like trypsin or pepsin.
- It's colorless when the [[pigment]], **nitroanilide**, is bound to the [[amino acids|arginine]].
- when we add trypsin to it, it breaks the bond between arginine + nitroaniline (a pigment)
- turns yellow
The assay
- you start with a buffer and some salt
- Add BAPNA and trypsin
- see how yellow it turns
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