Studies on superoxide dismutase activity and modulation of nitrofurantoin resistance by hyperbaric oxygen in Vibrio el tor

Superoxide dismutase, purified from Vibrio el tor, was found to have a molecular weight of 40,000. The enzyme was insensitive to KCN and NaN3 but was completely inhibited by H2O2 suggesting it to be an iron containing enzyme. Besides its ability to counteract the bactericidal effect of hyperbaric oxygen, the purified enzyme could to some extent prevent the enhanced bactericidal effect of nitrofurantoin in the presence of hyperbaric oxygen.