Nature 225, 1072 - 1073 (14 March 1970); doi:10.1038/2251072a0

L-Amino-acid Oxidase, a Bactericidal System

ROBERT C. SKARNES

Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.

THE antibacterial activity of glucose oxidase¹⁻³ and xanthine oxidase^4,5 was reported twenty-five years ago. The antibacterial effect was attributed to the H₂O₂ generated during aerobic oxidation of an appropriate substrate. Considering the potency and broad spectrum of the antibacterial action of these enyzmes, it is surprising that attention has not been focused on them or on other flavoproteins as agents in host defence. In this report, the bactericidal action of L-amino-acid oxidase is examined.

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