Building Sulfite Oxidase-- Meet MoCo

Sulfite oxidase is built around a compound called molybdenum cofactor, affectionately called "Moco" in the scientific community. It is the most critical part of the sulfite oxidase-- I've heard it compared to the chewy center of a candy bar; without it, it just won't work.


Without enough Moco, one cannot produce enough sulfite oxidase. This then leads to sulfite sensitivity.

What then makes Moco? Molybdenum cofactor is primarily made with molybdenum which is an element (#42). The thumbnail image is a picture of the elemental pieces of Moco. You can see the molybdenum, "Mo," in the upper right of the compound with the fan of oxygen around it. This molybdenum comes from your food and is absorbed through the digestive tract.

Sulfite oxidase also has a little tail on it that is supposed to be made with zinc. However, if copper levels are too high, the copper will bind in the place of zinc and cause the sulfite oxidase to be malformed.

In order to properly build sulfite oxidase, you need:

Adequate molybdenum
Balanced zinc and copper levels (which usually means more zinc)
Properly built and operating proteins and mitochondria