Biochem/Physiol Actions | Catalase catalyzes the degradation of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. It can also react with alkylhydrogen peroxides, such as methylperoxide and ethylperoxide and the second H2O2 molecule can be replaced by methanol, ethanol, propanol, formate and nitrate as a hydrogen donor. Catalase activity is constant over the pH range of 4.0-8.5. The enzyme activity is inhibited by 3-amino-1-H-1,2,4 triazole, cyanide, azide, hydroxylamine, cyanogen bromide, 2-mercaptoethanol, dithiothreitol, dianisidine, and nitrate. Incubation of catalase with ascorbate or ascorbate/Cu2+ results in degradation of the catalase molecule. |
Application | Catalase acts as a natural antioxidant to study the roles of reactive oxygen species in gene and apoptosis. It has also been used to protect against oxidative damage to proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Industrially, catalses have been used to remove hydrogen peroxide added to milk and cheese, in textile bleaching, and to examine its positive effects on the viability of DNA-repair mutants of E. coli. |
