Peroxidase-mediated bromination of unsaturated fatty acids to form bromohydrins.

Eosinophil peroxidase and myeloperoxidase (MPO) catalyze the oxidation of bromide by hydrogen peroxide to produce hypobromous acid (HOBr). Hypochlorous acid, which is also generated by MPO, reacts with unsaturated fatty acids to form chlorohydrins. In this study the equivalent reaction of HOBr, produced from MPO, bromide, and hydrogen peroxide, with oleic (18:1), linoleic (18:2), and arachidonic (20:4) acids has been investigated. Thin-layer chromatography detected one major product of higher polarity than the unmodified fatty acids and additional more polar products with the polyunsaturated fatty acids. Similar results were observed with N-bromosuccinimide-derived HOBr. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and electrospray MS identified the major products of 18:1 as the isomeric 9,10-bromohydrins based on retention time and mass spectrometric isotope and fragmentation patterns. The products of 18:2 and 20:4 were too unstable for analysis by GC-MS. Electrospray MS identified the mono- and bisbromohydrins formed from 18:2 and 20:4 based on mass/charge ratios of the molecular ions and the presence of bromine isotope patterns. Other oxidation products not containing bromine, such as dihydroxy derivatives, were detected as well. Fatty acid bromohydrins could contribute to the antimicrobial activity and inflammatory tissue damage by eosinophils and neutrophils, and could potentially be useful specific markers for HOBr production in vivo.