Similar to the lipoxygenases, cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes catalyse the hydroxylation and epoxygenation of arachidonic acid. However, whereas lipoxygenases use an active non-heme iron to abstract hydrogen directly from arachidonic acid, CYPs contain a heme-iron active site that oxidizes its substrate by a different mechanism. They hydroxylate arachidonic acid between C-5 and C-15 to produce lipoxygenase-like hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs) and add a hydroxyl moiety to the sp3-hybridized omega-carbons to form a unique class of HETEs. The transfer of oxygen to the unstable arachidonic acid intermediate terminates the reaction by forming HETE or epoxy-eicosatrienoic acid (EETs), respectively (Capdevila et al. 2000, Buczynski et al. 2009, Vance & Vance 2008).
Falck, JR, Capdevila, JH, Harris, RC
Vance, JE, Vance, DE
Dumlao, DS, Buczynski, MW, Dennis, EA
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