Haemoglobin-catalysed retinoic acid 5,6-epoxidation

Examination of the subcellular distribution of retinoic acid 5,6-epoxidase activity in rat liver and human liver homogenates showed that there is a prominent peak of activity in a high-density fraction. A corresponding peak was also detected in rat blood and human blood. Retinoic acid 5,6-epoxidation was catalysed by human blood cells but not by human plasma, and purified human haemoglobin also catalysed the epoxidation of retinoic acid to 5,6-epoxyretinoic acid. These results suggest that retinoic acid 5,6-epoxidase activity in human liver and rat liver homogenates is partially due to the presence of residual blood cells, and particularly haemoglobin, in the homogenates. In the retinoic acid 5,6-epoxidation catalysed by human haemoglobin, molecular O2 was required and its reaction was stimulated by Triton X-100. Boiling of haemoglobin solution resulted in an 94% decrease in the activity. NADPH (1 mM) and NADH (1 mM) completely [2-mercaptoethanol (5 mM) almost completely] inhibited the 5,6-epoxidation catalysed by haemoglobin, but catalase, superoxide dismutase and mannitol showed no inhibitory effect. CN- ion (100 mM) inhibited the reaction, but N3- ion (100 mM) did not.