On the electrochemical oxidation of methionine residues of proteins

•Electrochemical oxidation of methionine residues in peptides.•Catalytic support of the neighboring carbonyl and amide groups.•Stabilization of electron-deficient reaction center and formation of S.·.O and S.·.N bonds. The oxidation of methionine side chain residues in proteins provides a great diversity of possible oxidation mechanisms dictated, among others, by the oxidizing species, solvent properties, and protein structure. The oxidation behavior of a series of short acetylated synthetic peptides, Ac-GMG, Ac-GGMGG and Ac-GGGMGGG, was investigated by differential pulse and square wave voltammetry, in a wide pH range, at glassy carbon electrode. It was found that always the first oxidation step represents the one-electron oxidation of thioether moiety with the formation of a radical cation. Following this, depending on the experimental conditions and side chain position of methionine, the radical is stabilized by the nucleophilic attack of water or by catalytic support of the neighboring carbonyl and amide groups in an intermediate structure, finally converted in methionine sulfoxide which can be further oxidized, at more positive potential, into methionine sulfone. For Ac-GGGMGGG, at pH 8.0, the amino and amide groups are active involved in the oxidation process and the electrode reaction takes place with proton transfer