Dissection of the radical reactions linked to fetal hemoglobin reveals enhanced pseudoperoxidase activity.
In the presence of excess hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), ferrous (Fe(+2)) human hemoglobin (Hb) (α2β2) undergoes a rapid conversion to a higher oxidation ferryl state (Fe(+4)) which rapidly autoreduces back to the ferric form (Fe(+3)) as H2O2 is consumed in the reaction. In the presence of additional H2O2 the ferric state can form both ferryl Hb and an associated protein radical in a pseudoperoxidative