Question

Assume that you ate a salad that contained some compounds that upset your stomach but still managed to be absorbed and eventually moved into liver cells. The plant compounds are noxious and potentially toxic to the liver cells. Which organelle would be expected to target and detoxify the plant compounds?

Answer 1

Peroxisome is the organelle that would be expected to target and detoxify the plant compounds.

Peroxisomes are tiny membrane-bound organelles that contain several enzymes which are involved in various biochemical pathways in different types of cells. Peroxisomes go through oxidation reactions that results in the production of hydrogen peroxide which is harmful to the cell. The enzyme catalase is present in the peroxisomes. Catalase neutralizes the toxicity of hydrogen peroxide by decomposing it to water and oxygen. In that way, certain molecules such as fatty acids, amino acids, and uric acids are broken down by oxidative reactions in peroxisomes.