Lactoperoxidase catalyzes the oxidation of thiocyanate by hydrogen peroxide into hypothiocyanite, a reaction which can protect bacterial and mammalian cells from killing by hydrogen peroxide. The present study demonstrates, however, that lactoperoxidase in the presence of thiocyanate can actually potentiate the bactericidal and cytotoxic effects of hydrogen peroxide under specific conditions, s...

Human milk and saliva from newborn infants were analyzed for their content of lactoperoxidase and thiocyanate. The activity of lactoperoxidase in infant saliva was variable but generally higher than that found in calf saliva. In contrast, the activity in human colostrum was low ( approximately 5%) compared with that found in cow's milk. The enzyme was resistant to gastric juice. Thiocyanate was...

The topographical arrangement of chick synaptosomal plasma membrane polypeptides was examined by lactoperoxidase-catalyzed iodination and trypsin digestion of proteins exposed at the exterior surface. The ““I-labeling profile on sucrose gradients of lysed, subfractionated synaptosomes generally coincided with the activity of the membrane marker (Na+-K+)-activated ATPase, which suggested that la...

Studies with lactoperoxidase showed that a highly reactive intermediate is produced (on the enzyme) from I- and H2O2 which then diffuses from the enzyme and very rapidly and indiscriminately iodinates any Tyr or peptides containing Tyr which are in the same solution. The evidence supporting these conclusions follows. 1) The rate followed the Michaelis-Menten pattern with I- and H2O2 while the c...