Kinetic study and intermediates identification of noradrenaline oxidation by tyrosinase

Characterization of intermediates formed in the noradrenaline oxidation by mushroom tyrosinase and sodium periodate has been performed by rapid scanning spectrophotometry and graphical analysis of obtained spectra. In a pH range from 5.0 to 6.0, it has been possible to detect o-noradrenalinequinone-H+ as the first intermediate in these oxidations. The following steps for noradrenaline transformation into noradrenochrome would be: noradrenaline----o-noradrenalinequinone-H+----o- noradrenalinequinone----leukonoradrenochrome----noradreno chrome. It has been also verified that o-noradrenalinequinone-H+ is transformed into noradrenochrome at a constant ratio. The stoichiometry for this converstion followed the equation: 2-noradrenalinequinone-H+----noradrenaline + noradrenochrome. The pathway between noradrenaline and noradrenochrome has been studied as a system of various chemical reactions coupled to an enzymatic reaction. We have denominated this type of mechanism as an enzymatic-chemical-chemical mechanism, (E2CC). Whole rate constants for the implicated chemical steps at different pH and temperature values have been evaluated from measurement of the lag period arising from the accumulation of noradrenochrome that takes place when noradrenaline was oxidized at pH 5-6. The lag period was independent on enzyme concentration, but was increased when pH and/or temperature were increased. Rate constants pH independent for the deprotonation of noradrenalinequinone-H+ into noradrenalinequinone and for the internal cyclization of noradrenalinequinone into leukonoradrenochrome have been obtained. We conclude that this minor pathway of noradrenaline oxidation by tyrosinase follows a scheme similar to that established for L-dopa.