The effect of alcohol oxidase on the ascorbic acid-erythrocyte interaction: ESR investigations.

Addition of alcohol oxidase to erythrocytes treated with ascorbic acid reverses the vitamin C effect, as expressed by the appearance of the semidehydroascorbate signal, and the increase in spin concentration. The original erythrocyte electron spin resonance (ESR) signal is, however, never restored completely, as it is in the case if ascorbate oxidase is used. Additional interaction between the enzyme alcohol oxidase and haemoglobin iron must occur, since both of the iron ESR signals at g = 4.3 and g = 6 disappear and the erythrocyte ESR spectrum at g approximately equal to 2 is changed characteristically. The spin concentration of the latter spectrum increases again above a certain concentration of alcohol oxidase.