Reprint of: Photoperoxidation in Isolated Chloroplasts I. Kinetics and Stoichiometry of Fatty Acid Peroxidation

A photo-induced cyclic peroxidation in isolated chloroplasts is described. In an osmotic buffered medium, chloroplasts upon illumination produce malondialdehyde (MDA)-a decomposition product of tri-unsaturated fatty acid hydroperoxides-bleach endogenous chlorophyll, and consume oxygen. These processes show (a) no reaction in the absence of illumination; (b) an initial lag phase upon illumination of 10-20 minutes duration; (c) a linear phase in which the rate is proportional to the square root of the light intensity; (d) cessation of reaction occurring within 3 minutes after illumination ceases; and (e) a termination phase after several hours of illumination. The kinetics of the above processes fit a cyclic peroxidation equation with velocity coefficients near those for chemical peroxidation. The stoichiometry of MDA/O₂ = 0.02, and O₂/Chl_bleached = 6.9 correlates well with MDA production efficiency in other biological systems and with the molar ratio of unsaturated fatty acids to chlorophyll. The energies of activation for the lag and linear phases are 17 and 0 kcal/mole, respectively, the same as that for autoxidation. During the linear phase of oxygen uptake the dependence upon temperature and O₂ concentration indicates that during the reaction, oxygen tension at the site of peroxidation is 100-fold lower than in the aqueous phase. It is concluded that isolated chloroplasts upon illumination can undergo a cyclic peroxidation initiated by the light absorbed by chlorophyll. Photoperoxidation results in a destruction of the chlorophyll and tri-unsaturated fatty acids of the chloroplast membranes.