Catalase activity assays.

Catalase (hydrogen peroxide/hydrogen peroxide oxidoreductase) is an important cellular antioxidant enzyme that defends against oxidative stress. It is found in the peroxisomes of most aerobic cells. It serves to protect the cell from toxic effects of high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) by catalyzing its decomposition into molecular oxygen and water, without the production of free radicals. It is important to measure catalase levels because oxidative stress is inherent in pathological conditions such as cancer, diabetes, cataracts, atherosclerosis, neurodegenerative disease, aging, and nutritional deficiencies. This unit provides methods for catalase activity measurements.