Hydroxyl radical involvement in the luminol chemiluminescence from the reaction of arachidonic acid with sheep vesicular gland microsomes.

The luminol chemiluminescence associated with the reaction between vesicular gland microsomes and arachidonic acid was found to be inhibited by superoxide dismutase, catalase and hydroxyl radical scavengers. It was also found that diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid caused only slight inhibition. This is interpreted as showing the formation of hydroxyl radicals in a Haber-Weiss reaction and the interaction of luminol with the hydroxyl radicals. The Haber-Weiss catalyst is taken to be heme iron as the luminescence was not inhibited by diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid. A model system involving lipoxygenase, haematin and arachidonic acid was shown to be similar, the hydroxyl radicals coming from the interaction of haematin with the hydroperoxides, produced from the lipoxygenase-arachidonic acid reaction.