Antibody-catalyzed water-oxidation pathway

Abstract

The intrinsic ability of all antibodies to generate hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) from singlet dioxygen (1O2*) via the antibody-catalyzed water-oxidation pathway (ACWOP) has triggered a rethink of the potential role of antibodies both in immune defense, inflammation, and disease. It has been shown that photochemical activation of this pathway is highly bactericidal. More recently, cholesterol oxidation by-products that may arise from the ACWOP have been discovered in vivo and are receiving a great deal of attention as possible key players in atherosclerosis and diseases of protein misfolding, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.