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Updated: Jan 27, 2026
Simultaneous Measurement of Superoxide/Hydrogen Peroxide and NADH Production by Flavin-containing Mitochondrial Dehydrogenases
Published on: February 24, 2018
Hydrogen peroxide as a hydride donor and reductant under biologically relevant conditions
Yamin Htet1,2, Zhuomin Lu3, Sunia A Trauger4
1Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering , Harvard University , Cambridge , MA 02138 , USA.
Abstract:
Some ruthenium-hydride complexes react with O2 to yield H2O2, therefore the principle of microscopic reversibility dictates that the reverse reaction is also possible, that H2O2 could transfer an H- to a Ru complex. Mechanistic evidence is presented, using the Ru-catalyzed ABTS˙- reduction reaction as a probe, which suggests that a Ru-H intermediate is formed via deinsertion of O2 from H2O2 following coordination to Ru. This demonstration that H2O2 can function as an H- donor and reductant under biologically-relevant conditions provides the proof-of-concept that H2O2 may function as a reductant in living systems, ranging from metalloenzyme-catalyzed reactions to cellular redox homeostasis, and that H2O2 may be viable as an environmentally-friendly reductant and H- source in green catalysis.
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