Superoxide radical initiates the autoxidation of dihydroxyacetone

Tadahiko Mashino, Irwin Fridovich

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

42 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The aerobic xanthine oxidase reaction causes the cooxidation of dihydroxyacetone in a process which is strongly inhibited by superoxide dismutase but not by catalase, HO · scavengers, or iron-inactivating chelating agents. Several molecules of the sugar can be oxidized per O2- introduced. A free radical chain mechanism, in which O2- acts both as an initiator and as a chain propagator, is proposed. Simple sugars capable of tautomerizing to enediols may now be added to the list of biologically relevant targets for O2-.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)547-551
Number of pages5
JournalArchives of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Volume254
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1987 May 1
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biophysics
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology

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