What are oxidoreductases?

Oxidoreductases form a class of enzymes specifically involved in catalyzing oxidoreduction reactions. These enzymes facilitate the transfer of electrons from one molecule (reductant) to another molecule (oxidant). In these reactions, there is a conversion from an oxidized form of a molecule (A–) to a reduced form (A), and the other molecule changes from a reduced form (B) to an oxidized form (B–). Within the class of oxidoreductases, the two significant types are oxidases and dehydrogenases. Oxidases are enzymes involved when molecular oxygen functions as a recipient of either hydrogen or electrons during the oxidation process. On the other hand, dehydrogenases are enzymes which facilitate oxidation by transferring hydrogen from a substrate to an acceptor, such as NAD+ / NADP+ or a flavin enzyme. Other enzymes categorized as oxidoreductases include peroxidases, hydroxylases, oxygenases, and reductases.