Coksidase

Coksidase is a term that appears in some non-English biological literature to denote enzymes that catalyze oxidation reactions, commonly aligned with what English-language biochemistry calls oxidases. The term is not standardized in English-language nomenclature, and its exact scope can vary by author. In general, coksidases are enzymes that transfer electrons from a substrate to an electron acceptor, often molecular oxygen, thereby oxidizing the substrate. Some oxidases generate hydrogen peroxide as a byproduct, while others mediate four-electron reductions of oxygen to water as part of the catalytic cycle. The mechanism often involves cofactors such as flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) or flavin mononucleotide (FMN), heme groups, or other prosthetic groups.

Coksidases include a broad range of enzyme families. Examples frequently cited in literature include glucose oxidase and lactate oxidase, which oxidize their respective substrates with oxygen as the electron acceptor, as well as cytochrome c oxidase, a terminal enzyme of the mitochondrial respiratory chain that reduces oxygen to water. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with oxidase, but one should recognize that oxidases are a defined class in standardized nomenclature, whereas coksidase can be a translational or informal label.

These enzymes are widespread in nature, found in plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria, and they play roles in energy metabolism, reactive oxygen species production, and biosensing. In practical applications, oxidases are used in biosensors (for example, glucose oxidase in glucose meters) and in industrial oxidation processes.