Inhibition of D-amino acid oxidase by alpha-keto acids analogs of amino acids.

The inhibition of D-amino acid oxidase by certain alpha-keto acids products of the reaction with D-amino acids, in particular alpha-keto acids that are analogs of the amino acids alanine, valine, leucine, phenylanaline, phenylglycine, tyrosine and tryptophan, is reported. All the alpha-keto acids assayed behaved as substrate competitive inhibitors of the enzyme. The relationship between the degree of inhibition and the structure of the inhibitor is discussed.