The mechanism of ferrocytochrome C oxidation by a horseradish isoperoxidase.

The oxidation of ferrocytochrome c catalysed by highly purified horse-radish isoperoxidase P2 was studied kinetically. To take into account the low turnover number of the enzyme and the tendency to autocatalytic oxidation of ferrocytochrome c, experimental conditions were used which prevented us from using the steady-state treatment. According to kinetic results reported by several authors, a kinetic scheme involving a ternary complex between the enzyme and the substrates was postulated and simulated on a hybrid computer. By assuming that the interaction of peroxidase with hydrogen peroxide is much faster than the interaction with ferrocytochrome c, one can verify that this scheme explains the fact that initial velocity does not vary in relation to the hydrogen peroxide concentration and that a sudden change of slope occurs in the kinetic curve for an initial hydrogen peroxide/ferrocytochrome c ratio lower than 0.5.     

Determination of serum glucose by horseradish peroxidase-catalysed imidazole chemiluminescence coupled to a micro-flow-injection system.

The reactivity of flow-injection (FI)-horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-catalysed imidazole chemiluminescence (CL) was studied for continuous determination of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and serum glucose with immobilized glucose oxidase. Light emission by the HRP-catalysed imidazole CL was obtained when immobilized HRP, alkaline imidazole (in Tricine solution, pH 9.3) and H(2)O(2) were reacted at room temperature. The optimal pH for the CL reaction was 9.3 and the optimal concentration of imidazole was 100 micromol/L. When no imidazole was added, the light intensity of the same H(2)O(2) specimen decreased to a level that could not be quantitatively determined. The spectrum of the light emitted by imidazole CL was in the range 400-600 nm with a peak at 500 nm. The calibration equation for determination of H(2)O(2) was y = 9860x(2) + 3830x + 11,700, where y = light intensity (RLU) and x = concentration of H(2)O(2) (micromol/L). The detection limit of H(2)O(2) was 5 pmol, and the reproducibility of the H(2)O(2) assay was 2.3% of the coefficient of variation (H(2)O(2) 48 micromol/L, n = 13). The CL method was successfully applied to assay glucose after on-line generation of H(2)O(2) with the immobilized glucose oxidase column, resulting in good reproducibility (CV = 3.3% and 1.0% for the standard glucose and the control serum, respectively).     

The masking of peroxidase-catalysed oxidation of IAA in Vigna

Partially purified enzyme preparations of extracts of Vigna seedlings exhibited guaiacol-oxidase activity but not IAA-oxidase activity. However, by ageing the enzyme preparations, or by treating them with H₂O₂, it was possible to unmask IAA-oxidase activity. Gel filtration of Vigna extracts on Sepharose yielded separate peaks for IAA-oxidase, guaiacol-oxidase and auxin protectors. The appearance of a separate IAA-oxidase peak reflected the overlap of peroxidase and protector; the apparent difference in the migration rate of IAA-oxidase and guaiacol-oxidase activity proved to be an artifact. The data imply that previous reports of differences between peroxidase and IAA oxidase need to be reinvestigated to rule out the possible effect of contamination by endogenous, high MW auxin protectors. A rapid method for removing most of the auxin protectors and thereby unmasking IAA-oxidase activity is described.     

The oxidation and decarboxylation of retinoic acid by horseradish peroxidase.

The decarboxylation of retinoic acid by horseradish peroxidase was investigated. A marked increase in the yield of products was obtained. However, the data indicated the reaction was a nonenzymatic, heme catalyzed peroxidation. Previously reported requirements for phosphate, oxygen and ferrous ion were eliminated when hydrogen peroxide was provided. Peroxide also eliminated the EDTA and cyanide induced inhibition of the phosphate dependent system. In the presence of hydrogen peroxide, horseradish peroxidase was not essential to the reaction; heme equivalent amounts of hemoglobin decarboxylated retinoic acid with equal facility. However, hemoglobin was ineffective in the absence of hydrogen peroxide. Attainment of 50--60% decarboxylation represented complete utilization of the available retinoic acid. Thus the products of the reaction can be divided into two groups, products of retinoic acid oxidation and products of an oxidative decarboxylation of retinoic acid.     

Titration study of guaiacol oxidation by horseradish peroxidase.

Titration of guaiacol by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a catalytic amount of horseradish peroxidase shows that the reduction of hydrogen peroxide proceeds by the abstraction of two electrons from a guaiacol molecule. In the same way, it can be demonstrated that 0.5 mol of guaiacol can reduce, at low temperature, 1 mol of peroxidase compound I to compound II. Moreover, the reaction between equal amounts of compound I and guaiacol at low temperature produces the native enzyme. A reaction scheme is proposed which postulates that two electrons are transferred from guaiacol to compound I giving ferriperoxidase and oxidized guaiacol with the intermediary formation of compound II. The direct two-electron transfer from guaiacol to compound I without a dismutation of product free radicals must be considered as an exception to the general mechanism involving a single-electron transfer.     

The peroxidase-catalysed oxidation of a chalcone and its possible physiological significance

1. Crystalline horseradish peroxidase catalysed the oxidation of 2',4,4'-trihydroxychalcone (isoliquiritigenin) in the presence of trace amounts of hydrogen peroxide under aerobic conditions. One atom of oxygen was consumed for each molecule of substrate. 2. The reaction course comprised a lag phase and a linear phase. The optimum pH for the linear phase of the reaction was about 7.5. The length of the lag phase decreased with increasing pH. It is suggested that the chalcone anion is the actual substrate for the reaction. 3. No evidence for the production of reducing free radicals or perhydroxyl radicals during the reaction could be found. 4. 4',7-Dihydroxyflavonol and 4',6-dihydroxyaurone were isolated from the reaction mixture. The immediate products of the reaction may have included 3,4',7-trihydroxyflavanone and 4',6-dihydroxy-2-(alpha-hydroxybenzyl)coumaran-one, which can be readily converted non-enzymically into the flavonol and aurone respectively. 5. A similar reaction was catalysed by cell-free extracts of hypocotyls of Phaseolus vulgaris. 6. The physiological significance of the reaction is discussed in terms of a possible free-radical mechanism. An analogy may exist between flavonoid biosynthesis and lignin formation.     

The oxidation of N-substituted aromatic amines by horseradish peroxidase

The mechanism of N-dealkylation by peroxidases of the Ca2+ indicator quin2 and analogs was investigated and compared with the mechanism of N-dealkylation of some N-methyl-substituted aromatic amines. Nitrogen-centered cation radicals were detected by ESR spectroscopy for all the compounds studied. Further oxidation of the nitrogen-centered cation radicals, however, was dependent upon the structure of the radical formed. In the case of quin2 and analogs, a carbon-centered radical could be detected using the spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide. By using the spin trap 2-methyl-2-nitrosopropane (tert-nitrosobutane), it was determined that the carbon-centered radical was formed due to loss of a carboxylic acid group. This indicated that bond breakage most likely occurred through a rearrangement reaction. Furthermore, extensive oxygen consumption was detected, which was in agreement with the formation of carbon-centered radicals, as they avidly react with molecular oxygen. Thus, reaction of the carbon-centered radical with oxygen most likely led to the formation of a peroxyl radical. The peroxyl radical decomposed into superoxide that was spin trapped by 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide and an unstable iminium cation. The iminium cation would subsequently hydrolyze to the monomethyl amine and formaldehyde. In the case of N-methyl-substituted aromatic amines, carbon-centered radicals were not detected during the peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of these compounds. Thus, rearrangement of the nitrogen-centered radical did not occur. Furthermore, little or no oxygen consumption was detected, whereas formaldehyde was formed in all cases. These results indicated that the N-methyl-substituted amines were oxidized by a mechanism different from the mechanism found for quin2 and analogs.     

NADPH oxidation catalyzed by the peroxidase/H2O2 system. Guaiacol-mediated and scopoletin-mediated oxidation of NADPH to NADPH+

We have examined the respective roles played by guaiacol and scopoletin in NADPH oxidation catalyzed by the peroxidase/H2O2 system. It was shown that NADPH was not oxidized by either the horseradish or lactoperoxidase/H2O2 systems alone; oxidation occurred immediately after the addition of guaiacol or scopoletin. In both cases, the oxidation product was enzymatically active NADP+. Differences were observed in the NADPH oxidation mechanism depending on whether guaiacol or scopoletin was the mediator molecule. In guaiacol-mediated NADPH oxidation, the stoichiometry between H2O2 and oxidized NADPH was about 1; superoxide dismutase did not affect the oxidation rate. In scopoletin-mediated oxidation, the stoichiometry was much higher (1:14 in the present experiments); superoxide dismutase considerably increased the oxidation rate. It is concluded that catalysis of NADPH oxidation by the horse radish peroxidase/H2O2 system requires the presence of a mediator molecule. The NADPH oxidation mechanism depends on the intermediary oxidation state of this molecule.     

Kinetic evidence of horseradish peroxidase oxidation by compound I.

The kinetics of compound II formation, obtained upon mixing a highly purified horseradish peroxidase and hydrogen peroxide, was spectrophotometrically studied at three wavelengths in the absence of an added reducing agent. Our experiments confirm George's finding that more than one mole of compound II is formed per mole of hydrogen peroxide added. The new mechanism that we propose, contrary to the mechanism of George, is only valid when compound II is obtained in the absence of an added donor. Moreover, it is not inconsistent with the classical Chance mechanism of oxidation of an added donor by the system peroxidase -- hydrogen peroxide. According to this new mechanism, in the absence of an added donor, compound II formation involved two pathways. The first pathway is the monomolecular reduction of compound I by the endogenous donor, and the second pathway is the formation of two moles of compound II through the oxidoreduction reaction between one mole of peroxidase and one mole of compound I.     

A method for measuring H2O2 based on the potentiation of peroxidative NADPH oxidation by superoxide dismutase and scopoletin.

NADPH oxidation catalyzed by horseradish peroxidase is considerably increased by scopoletin and superoxide dismutase. These effects were used to develop a method for measuring H2O2 in a horseradish peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and scopoletin system by measuring the NADPH oxidation rate. The optimal concentration of each reactant was determined. H2O2 could be detected and measured when it was present free in the medium or when it was produced by an H2O2-generating system, such as glucose-glucose oxidase or NADPH oxidase from thyroid plasma membranes. H2O2 was measured either by taking aliquots of the incubation medium or by placing NADPH directly in the medium and following the kinetics of NADPH oxidation. This latter approach required smaller amounts of biological material. In contrast to other methods, the H2O2 which is measured is regenerated. This method is 10 times more sensitive than the standard scopoletin method for H2O2 measurement and will detect a H2O2 production rate as low as 0.2 nmol per hour. The method is particularly suitable for biological systems in which small quantities of biological material are available.     

NADPH oxidation catalyzed by the peroxidase/H2O2 system. Iodide-mediated oxidation of NADPH to iodinated NADP

Oxidation of NADPH catalyzed by the peroxidase/H2O2 system is known to require the presence of mediating molecules. Using either lactoperoxidase or horseradish peroxidase, we demonstrated that in the peroxidase/H2O2 system, NADPH oxidation was mediated by iodide. The oxidation product was the iodinated NADP. This product was shown to possess spectral characteristics different from those of NADP+ and NADPH, since for iodinated NADP, increased absorbance was observed in the 280-nm region and was directly proportional to the rate of iodination. It is suggested that oxidation and iodination of NADPH proceed via a single reaction between the intermediary iodide oxidation species and NADPH. Experiments with different molecules of NADPH analogues indicated that iodination occurred in the nicotinamide part of the NADPH molecule.     

Stereochemistry of NADPH oxidation by dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase from pig liver.

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase reduces uracil to 5,6-dihydrouracil in a strictly NADPH-dependent reaction. Either by analysing the 1H-NMR spectra of the NADP+ products formed or by determination of the kinetic isotope effects of stereospecifically deuterated coenzymes dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase was found to abstract specifically the pro-S hydrogen of NADPH, making it a member of the B-side stereospecific class of dehydrogenases.     

Anomalous oxidation of MDL 73,404 by horseradish peroxidase

3,4-Dihydro-6-hydroxy-N,N,N-2,5,7,8-heptamethyl-2H-1-benzopyran-2-ethanaminium-4-methylbenzene sulfonate (MDL 73,404) is a cardioselective water-soluble quaternary ammonium analogue of Vitamin E which is synthesized to augment the antioxidant defence in situations of free radical injury such as myocardial infarction/reperfusion. Its oxidation by any peroxidative enzyme has not been studied kinetically. This paper describes its enzymatic oxidation by horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The activity was followed spectrophotometrically at 255nm, and the experimental results were simulated using the program "KINETIC 3.1" for Windows 3.x. The MDL 73,404 was oxidized by horseradish peroxidase in the presence of H2O2 to its corresponding MDL 73,404 quinone. During this oxidation, the horseradish peroxidase showed an unexpectedly slow kinetic response with time, which contrast with the linear product accumulation curve measured with 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-estilbenzotiazol-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS). This response was dependent on the respective concentrations of enzyme, MDL 73,404 and H2O2. However, when the enzyme was incubated with H2O2, the slow kinetic response disappeared and a lag period was observed. Furthermore, when p-coumaric acid (PCA) was added, the activity increased and the slow kinetic response became a straight line. In order to explain this anomalous behaviour, a kinetic model has been proposed and its differential equations simulated. From the correlation between experimental and simulated results it is concluded that MDL 73,404 can act as a slow response substrate for peroxidase, probably due to the presence of a quaternary ammonium side chain that confers on it a slow capacity to convert compound III into ferriperoxidase.     

Studies on the mechanism of NADPH oxidation by the granule fraction isolated from human resting polymorphonuclear blood cells.

Various factor affecting NADPH-oxidation by resting human leucocyte granules (LG) at acid pH, have been investigated. It was found that: 1) oxidation of NADPH by LG was increasingly inhibited by increased cyanide concentrations in the medium and was abolished by 4 mM cyanide. 2) with or without cyanide in the incubation medium, LG omitted, Mn++ in the presence of NADPH induced superoxide anion (O- WITH 2) production, as evidenced by oxygen consumption and H2O2 production, which were abolished (in the absence of cyanide) by cytochrome C (a potent O- with 2 scavenger). 3) Both NADPH oxidation in the presence of 2 mM cyanide (cyanide-resistant) and in its absence (cyanide-sensitive) by LG occurred only in the presence of Mn++, and both were inhibited by superoxide dismutase. 4) Cyanide-resistant NADPH oxidation by LG generated H2O2, was inhibited by H2O2 and was not modified by "active" catalase. The ratio of cyanide-resistant NADPH oxidation/O2 uptake was 1 up to 1.25 mM NADPH, and increased above this concentration. 5) Cyanide-sensitive NADPH oxidation was inhibited by catalase and increased upon addition of H2O2. The ratio of cyanide-sensitive NADPH oxidation/O2 uptake was 2. It was concluded that after initiation by O - with 2, produced independently of LG, two sequential types of LG dependent NADPH oxidations occur. First, an O - with 2-dependent protein mediated NADPH oxidation (cyanide-resistant) which generates H2O2 and O - with 2 occurs. Second, NADPH peroxidation (cyanide-sensitive) which utilizes H2O2 takes place.     

Evidence for a one-electron mechanism of 2-aminofluorene oxidation by prostaglandin H synthase and horseradish peroxidase

Previous studies have shown that the primary arylamine carcinogen 2-aminofluorene (2-AF) is oxidized by the prostaglandin H synthase peroxidase to mutagenic and electrophilic products capable of covalent binding to macromolecules. The present study was designed to identify the potential reactive intermediate(s) responsible for binding, and to characterize further the metabolic intermediates in 2-AF peroxidation. Both prostaglandin H synthase and horseradish peroxidase, with H2O2, oxidize 2-AF to azofluorene, 2-aminodifluorenylamine (2-ADFA), 2-nitrofluorene, polymeric and nonorganic-extractable material. Both enzymes show greater activity at pH 5.0 than at pH 7.0. In the presence of either 2-t-butyl-4-methoxyphenol or 2,6-dimethylphenol, arylamine/phenol adducts were formed in high yield, with the nitrogen of either 2-AF or 2-ADFA coupled to the para position of the phenol (loss of -OCH3 with 2-t-butyl-4-methoxyphenol). These structures were confirmed by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. Acid hydrolysis of N-hydroxy-2-AF to yield the nitrenium ion, in the presence of a phenol, also results in adduct formation, but only at times greater than 2 h and in very limited yield. The peroxidase-catalyzed adduct formation, however is rapid (less than 2 min) and extensive. These and other data support a one-electron pathway for 2-AF peroxidation, with a free radical or a free radical-derived product responsible for binding to protein and DNA. An N-hydroxy intermediate may therefore not be obligatory in the enzymatic activation of 2-AF to a mutagenic product.