[Effect of surface-active agents (SAA) on peroxidase activity. III. Effect of nonionic SAA]

The effect of a series of nonionic surfactants on the initial rate of the peroxide oxidation of 5-aminosalicylic acid in solution catalyzed by horseradish peroxidase was studied. As the surfactant concentration increases, the peroxidation rate first increases, then decreases, and the increase/decrease cycle is repeated. The primary increase may be induced by a change in properties of the medium under the action of surfactants, and the following decrease, by the enzyme inhibition. The secondary increase may be explained by a change in the enzyme conformation and an increase in the accessibility of its active site for the substrate due to the immobilization of the protein in the surfactant aggregates, whereas the secondary decrease, by a shielding of the protein with these aggregates.