Superoxide Dismutase

Superoxide dismutases are a class of enzymes that catalyze reactions similar to the one below:

> O 2- + O 2- + 2H+ -> H 2O 2 + O 2

The term dismutase describes an enzyme that acts on two identical substrate molecules in a way that results in two different products. The hydrogen peroxide formed in the reaction above can be broken down by the enzyme catalase or, to some extent, by peroxidases.

See also: Antioxidants, Reactive Oxygen, Oxygen Metabolism and Human Disease, Catalase, Glutathione Peroxidase

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