Reactions of pyridine coenzyme dimers and monomers with viologens

DCMV++ (1,1'-dimethyl-2,2'-dicyano-4,4'-bipyridinium, bis-methylsulfate) promotes the aerobic oxidation of the NAD(P) dimers (NADP)2 and (NAD)2 with the formation of 2 mol of NADP+ or NAD+ per mole of dimers. The reaction appears to follow a pseudo-first-order kinetics with respect to the dimer concentration. One mole of oxygen was consumed in the reaction per mole of NAD(P) dimer oxidized and hydrogen peroxide was produced. The monomers NADPH and NADH under the same reaction conditions were not oxidized by DCMV++. In anaerobiosis NAD(P) dimers but not NAD(P)H rapidly reduced DCMV++ to its radical cation DCMV++, which was rapidly back-oxidized by air to its parent dication. Paraquat (MV++) was also able to catalyze the aerobic oxidation of NAD(P) dimers and, at a much lower extent, NADPH and NADH, but only under light irradiation. In anaerobiosis and upon light irradiation all the above nucleotides were able to convert paraquat to its radical cation MV++, reoxidized to MV++ by air admission. This study shows the different ability of NAD(P) dimers and NAD(P)H to undergo one-electron and two-electron oxidation reactions, with different viologens.