Reaction Mechanism of Manganese Superoxide Dismutase Studied by Combined Quantum and Molecular Mechanical Calculations and Multiconfigurational Methods.
Manganese superoxide dismutases (MnSODs) are enzymes that convert two molecules of the poisonous superoxide radical into molecular oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. During the reaction, the manganese ion cycles between the Mn(2+) and Mn(3+) oxidation states and accomplishes its enzymatic action in two half-cycles (corresponding to the oxidation and reduction of O(2)(*-)). Despite many experimental and