Chapter Outline Introduction 123 Therapeutic Potential of Monoamine Oxidase Inhibition in Neurological Disorders 124 Depression 125 Parkinson’s Disease 126 Other Neurodegenerative Diseases 126 Smoke and Alcohol Cessation 127 Alkaloids as Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors 127 Indole Alkaloids 128 Isoquinoline Alkaloids 134 Piperidine Alkaloids 137 Desoxypeganine 138 Other Alkaloids 139 Conclusion 141...

A set of bifunctional oxidase-peroxidases has been prepared by fusing four distinct oxidases to a peroxidase. Although such fusion enzymes have not been observed in nature, they could be expressed and purified in good yields. Characterization revealed that the artificial enzymes retained the capability to bind the two required cofactors and were catalytically active as oxidase and peroxidase. P...

The existence of a redox cycle leading to the production of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) in the white rot fungus Pleurotus eryngii has been confirmed by incubations of 10-day-old mycelium with veratryl (3,4-dimethoxybenzyl) and anisyl (4-methoxybenzyl) compounds (alcohols, aldehydes, and acids). Veratraldehyde and anisaldehyde were reduced by aryl-alcohol dehydrogenase to their corresponding al...

Choline oxidase catalyzes the two-step oxidation of choline to glycine betaine, one of limited osmoprotectants, with the formation of betaine aldehyde as an enzyme bound intermediate. Glycine betaine accumulates in the cytoplasm of plants and bacteria as a defensive mechanism to withstand hyperosmolarity and elevated temperatures. This makes the genetic engineering of relevant plants which lack...