Sulfite Oxidase Deficiency

Enzymes are catalysts. This means that they speed up natural processes, but are not a part of the final product. Sulfite will naturally become sulfate in the presence of oxygen. Sulfite oxidase is the enzyme that helps this process along by actively adding an oxygen molecule to sulfite to make sulfate.

(What are sulfur oxides, sulfites, and sulfates?)

You can see a picture of sulfite oxidase on the right side of the screen. It looks like it is made of ribbon.

There is a picture of it in action in the sulfite-sulfate cycle underneath the word jumble. It looks like a big circle.

Remember that the reaction will naturally happen anyway, which is why sulfite symptoms fade with time and/or placebos and why urine sulfite tests must be completed quickly. Without sulfite oxidase the body cannot process sulfites efficiently, so the kidneys must filter it, thereby allowing sulfites to spill into the urine.

Every cell makes sulfite oxidase. It's made in the mitochondria, which are the power plants of the cell. They look like little pill bugs, and they even have their own DNA. The membrane of the mitochondria has two layers. Sulfite oxidase is made in the space between the two layers.

There are two causes of sulfite oxidase deficiency.

1) Either the mitochondria don't work correctly
or
2) The body does not have enough raw material to construct sulfite oxidase

The first reason, that the mitochondria don't work correctly, is the one with which doctors are most familiar. It is a congenital (which means "born with it") mitochondrial metabolic disorder. This is a tragic disorder that leads to seizures, brain damage, and death.

The second reason is the one that adults struggle with-- the lack of raw materials. Many things are needed in order to produce sulfite oxidase, the most important being molybdenum cofactor and zinc.

I have found that supplementing these raw materials is important in enabling the production of sulfite oxidase. I cannot verify this scientifically, but as I have included more "building materials" in my diet, my symptoms have improved.

The third possibility is that this is not an all or nothing game. That the mitochondria are capable but not efficient at producing sulfite oxidase, that, perhaps there is some kind of glitch in the system. I do not have enough expertise in the area of mitochondrial diseases in order to weigh in on this, but I would love to hear from someone who does that knowledge.

More Information:
Wikipedia- Sulfite Oxidase
Sulfite Oxidase Deficiency