A substrate recycling assay for phenolic compounds using tyrosinase and NADH

A substrate recycling assay for phenolic compounds was developed using tyrosinase, a copper-containing enzyme, in excess NADH. The reaction of various phenols with the enzyme produced an o-quinone, which was then detected by recycling between reactions with the enzyme and NADH. The recycling of quinones by excess NADH to their original reduced forms prevented the problems of subsequent quinone polymerization and product inactivation which occur in nonrecycling assays. Absorbance measurements of the NADH consumption rate enhanced the assay sensitivity for catechol 100-fold compared to nonrecycling o-quinone detection, giving a detection limit of 240 nM. Fluorescence NADH monitoring permitted a 10-fold improvement over absorbance, with a detection limit of 23 nM. The recycling reaction was selective for o-quinones, and no interference was noted for p-quinones or quinoneimines. The two-step oxidation of phenols was observed as an initial lag phase (ca. 10 min), requiring a higher enzyme concentration to achieve the same sensitivity as that for catechol. The procedure was most useful for assaying catechol, 4-chlorocatechol, phenol, p-cresol, and 4-chlorophenol and may provide selective detection of these components in mixtures. Several other derivatives of catechols, including amine derivatives, were also detected, with relative sensitivity being related to substrate activity of the enzyme.