The possible role of 9(S)-hydroperoxyoctadecatrienoic acid as a suicide substrate of soybean lipoxygenase.

While incubation of soybean lipoxygenase with alpha-linolenic acid resulted in the gradual decrease of lipoxygenase activity, the incubation with linoleic acid had no change. The inactivation of soybean lipoxygenase during incubation with alpha-linolenic acid was markedly observed at pH 6.5, but not at pH 9.0. Among the lipoxygenation products of alpha-linolenic acid, only 9(S)-hydroperoxyoctadecatrienoic acid caused the inactivation of lipoxygenase. 9(S)-Hydroxyoctadecatrienoic acid, 13(S)-hydroperoxyoctadecatrienoic acid or 9,16-dihydroperoxy conjugated trienoic acid was without effect. Accordingly, it is suggested that the epoxide intermediate, one conversion product of 9(S)-hydroperoxyoctadecatrienoic acid, might be involved in the direct inactivation of lipoxygenase.