The oxidative deamination of L-aminoethylcysteine sulfoxide and sulfone by snake venom L-amino acid oxidase.

The oxidation of L-aminoethylcysteine (AEC) by L-amino acid oxidase has been compared with that of the respective sulfoxide (AEC-SO) and sulfone (AEC-SO2). Spectral and HPLC analyses of the incubates reveal the formation of the respective cyclic ketimines. While the ketimine coming from AEC is subjected to autooxidation yielding the sulfoxide and other products, the ketimines produced from AEC-SO and AEC-SO2 are more stable and account for almost the total conversion of the substrate in the product. Spectrophotometric and HPLC properties of the ketimine produced from AEC-SO are identical to those reported earlier for the main product of the autooxidation of AEC ketimine, thus confirming its identification. These results could explain the presence of chondrine in biological materials as a product of reduction of AEC-SO ketimine.