Electrochemical Oxidation of Guanosine and Xanthosine at Physiological pH: Further Evidences of a Convergent Mechanism for the Oxidation of Purine Nucleosides

The electrochemical oxidation of guanosine and xanthosine, which only differ in the presence of an oxygen atom at C2 position instead of an amine group, is studied on pyrolytic graphite electrodes at different electrolysis time scales in solutions of physiological pH. The oxidation products adsorbed on the electrode surface were electrochemical characterized in terms of variation of the formal potential with pH and catalytic activity towards the oxidation of NADH. The results were compared with those previously described for the oxidation of guanosine and adenosine in alkaline solutions. A common oxidation product is described, the oxidized form of 9‐β‐D ‐ribofuranosyluric acid, which is proposed as the point of convergence in the oxidation routes of all three purine nucleosides.