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M D Corbett

Publications and source records attributed to M D Corbett.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Peroxide oxidation of indole to oxindole by chloroperoxidase catalysis.

In the presence of chloroperoxidase, indole was oxidized by H2O2 to give oxindole as the major product. Under most conditions oxindole was the only product formed, and under optimal conditions the conversion was quantitative. This reaction displayed maximal activity at pH 4.6, although appreciable activity was observed throughout the entire pH range investigated, namely pH 2.5-6.0. Enzyme saturation by indole could not be demonstrated, up to the limit of indole solubility in the buffer. The oxidation kinetics were first-order with respect to indole up to 8 mM, which was the highest concentration of indole that could be investigated. On the other hand, 2-methylindole was not affected by H2O2 and chloroperoxidase, but was a strong inhibitor of indole oxidation. The isomer 1-methylindole was a poor substrate for chloroperoxidase oxidation, and a weak inhibitor of indole oxidation. These results suggest the possibility that chloroperoxidase oxidation of the carbon atom adjacent to the nitrogen atom in part results from hydrogen-bonding of the substrate N-H group to the enzyme active site.

Catalysis

Peroxidases produced by the marine sponge Iotrochota birotulata.

1. Two peroxidases, differing in ionic character and substrate specificity, have been isolated from the tropical marine sponge Iotrochota birotulata. 2. Both peroxidases catalyze the oxidation of a number of substrates, and one peroxidase possesses a specificity similar to the terrestrial fungal enzyme chloroperoxidase. 3. Based on inhibition studies utilizing sodium azide, potassium cyanide and 8-hydroxyquinoline, it appears that the peroxidases from I. birotulata are haemoprotein complexes. 4. One peroxidase appears to possess subunit structure, and requires bound divalent metal cations for activity.

Animals

Chloroperoxidase-catalysed oxidation of 4-chloroaniline to 4-chloronitrosobenze.

The incubation of 4-chloroaniline with chloroperoxidase and H2O2 resulted in a rapid formation of 4-chloronitrosobenzene. This enzymic oxidation displayed a pH optimum at 4.4 with a Km of 8.1x10(-4)M and catalytic-centre activity of 312. The initial rate of the reaction was strongly affected by the presence of halide ions. 4-Chlorophenylhydroxylamine was even more rapidly converted into the nitroso compound. A reaction mechanism is proposed on the basis of currently accepted theory for the catalytic action of chloroperoxidae. A noteworthy aspect of this new reaction is the difference in the products previously reported for the action of classical peroxidases on anilines and the single nitroso product resulting from chloroperoxidase oxidation.

Aniline Compounds

Synthesis and antibiotic properties of chloramphenicol reduction products.

Analogs of chloramphenicol were prepared for the first time in which the nitro group was replaced by hydroxylamine, nitroso, hydroxamic acid, methyl hydroxamate, and O-acetyl hydroxamate functional groups. These compounds were tested for antibiotic activity in order to determine whether the antibiotic activity of chloramphenicol is mediated by one or more of these potential metabolites of chloramphenicol. None of these analogs was as active as chloramphenicol against the four test organisms, and two of the compounds were essentially devoid of activity. The significance of these findings with regard to the importance of the nitro group to the biological activity of chloramphenicol is discussed.

Anti-Bacterial Agents

N-phenylglycolhydroxamate production by the action of transketolase on nitrosobenzene.

The incubation of nitrosobenzene with yeast transketolase and D-xylulose 5-phosphate resulted in the production of N-phenylglycolhydroxamic acid. The addition of D-ribose 5-phosphate decreased the amount of hydroxamic acid that was produced. This conversion of nitrosobenzene into the glycollic acid-derived hydroxamic acid was shown to be an enzymic process, and a chemical mechanism for the conversion was proposed.

Hydroxamic Acids

Characterization of poison oak urushiol.

Procedures are described that were used in the isolation and characterization of urushiol components reported to be the allergenic constituents of poison oak, Toxicodendron diversilobum. Characterization of these components by spectral techniques indicated they are unsaturated congeners of 3-heptadecylcatechol, possessing one, two, or three double bonds in an unbranched C17 side chain. These components are shown to differ from those isolated from poison ivy, Toxicodendron radicans, by a - CH2CH2-unit in the unbranched alkyl side chain.

Catechols

The production of hydroxamic acid metabolites of nitrosobenzene by Chlorella pyrenoidosa.

The ability of the green alga Chlorella pyrenoidosa to convert nitrosobenzene (I), phenylhydroxylamine (VI), aniline, and nitrobenzene to hydroxamic acid metabolites was investigated. Only nitrosobenzene and phenylhydroxylamine were partially converted to N-phenylacetohydroxamic acid (Va) and N-phenylglycolhydroxamic acid (Vb), with the latter compound being the major product. The possible mechanisms for the formation of these hydroxamic acid metabolites are discussed. The most plausible explanation for their production is through the interaction of the nitroso group with certain intermediates of thiamine-dependent enzymes. The conversion of phenylhydroxylamine to the hydroxamic acids probably is the result of initial oxidation to nitrosobenzene. Apparently, C. pyrenoidosa lacks nitroreductase and aniline hydroxylase activities, since no metabolic conversions of aniline or nitrobenzene were observed. The potential environmental significance of hydroxamic acid production from nitrosoaromatics is discussed.

Chlorella