Spectroscopic studies of interactions involving horseradish peroxidase and Tb3+

The spectroscopic properties of interactions involving horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and Tb(3+) in the simulated physiological solution was investigated with some electrochemical and spectroscopic methods, such as cyclic voltammetry (CV), circular dichroism (CD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and synchronous fluorescence (SF). It was found that Tb(3+) can coordinate with oxygen atoms in carbonyl groups in the peptide chain of HRP, form the complex of Tb(3+) and HRP (Tb-HRP), and then lead to the conformation change of HRP. The increase in the random coil content of HRP can disturb the microstructure of the heme active center of HRP, in which the planarity of the porphyrin cycle in the heme group is increased and then the exposure extent of the electrochemical active center is decreased. Thus Tb(3+) can inhibit the electrochemical reaction of HRP and its electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of H(2)O(2) at the Au/Cys/GC electrode. The changes in the microstructure of HRP obstructed the electron transfer of Fe(III) in the porphyrin cycle of the heme group, thus HRP catalytic activity is inhibited. The inhibition effect of Tb(3+) on HRP catalytic activity is increased with the increasing of Tb(3+) concentration. This study would provide some references for better understanding the rare earth elements and heavy metals on peroxidase toxicity in living organisms.