The Enzymatic Oxidation of Aldehydes by Xanthine Oxidase

As early as sixty years ago, the existence of an enzyme from mammalian tissues which catalyzed the oxidation of xanthine and hypoxanthine was recognized. The name given the enzyme was derived from its earliest recognized action, hence xanthine oxidase. Although little is known about the biological functions of the enzyme, the high affinity shown for xanthine and hypoxanthine may indicate that these are the most significant substrates biologically