Singlet oxygen production from the reactions of ozone with biological molecules

Abstract

The reaction of ozone with a number of biological molecules was found to produce singlet oxygen in high yield. At pH 7.0, the reaction of ozone with an equimolar amount of biological molecule produced the following singlet oxygen yields (mole of singlet oxygen/mole of ozone): cysteine, 0.49 +/- 0.02; methionine, 1.13 +/- 0.11; reduced glutathione, 0.33 +/- 0.02; albumin, 1.00 +/- 0.05; uric acid, 0.64 +/- 0.09; ascorbic acid, 0.96 +/- 0.007; NADPH, 1.07 +/- 0.07; NADH, 0.95 +/- 0.01. Thus, singlet oxygen may be an important intermediate in the biochemical damage caused by ozone.