Abstract
The process of the reduction of oxygen to water in the mitochondria has been widely studied in the course of time. It is generally accepted that oxygen is reduced by cytochrome oxidase, the terminal enzyme in the electron transport chain, in a single 4-electron 4-proton step. However, the discussion about the true mechanism of the process is still not closed. The electrochemical reduction of oxygen has also been studied extensively by direct methods1 as well as indirectly in the presence of mediators2–4. At the electrode the reduction of oxygen proceeds in two 2-electron steps. This process would imply hydrogen peroxide as the first reduction product, which is then reduced to water in the second step. In the presence of one specific porphyrin mediator, practically no hydrogen peroxide was found, which in this case could indicate that a direct reduction of oxygen to water has taken place5.
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© 1988 Plenum Press, New York
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Kwee, S. (1988). Electrochemical Studies on the Generation of Active Oxygen Species in Biological Systems with the Use of Mediators. In: Dryhurst, G., Niki, K. (eds) Redox Chemistry and Interfacial Behavior of Biological Molecules. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-9534-2_30
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-9534-2_30
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