Reductive dechlorination of DDT to DDD by rat blood

Abstract

The present study provides evidence that the reductive dechlorination of DDT (p,p'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) to DDD (p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane) mediated by rat blood proceeds in the presence of both a reduced pyridine nucleotide and a flavin. The reduction appears to proceed in two steps. The first step is reduction of a flavin such as FAD, FMN or riboflavin by NADPH or NADH, either enzymatically or nonenzymatically. The second step is nonenzymatic reductive dechlorination of DDT by the reduced flavin, catalyzed by the heme group of hemoglobin.