The parasitic helminth Fasciola hepatica secretes a 2-Cys peroxiredoxin (Prx) that may play important functions in host-parasite interaction. Recombinant peroxiredoxin (FhePrx) prevented metal-catalyzed oxidative nicking of plasmid DNA and detoxified hydrogen peroxide when coupled with Escherichia coli thioredoxin and thioredoxin reductase (k(cat)/K(m)=5.2 x 10(5)M(-1)s(-1)). Enzyme kinetic analysis revealed that the catalytic efficiency of FhePrx is similar to other 2-Cys peroxiredoxins; the enzyme displayed saturable enzyme Michaelis-Menten type kinetics with hydrogen peroxide, cumene hydroperoxide and t-butyl hydroperoxide, and is sensitive to concentrations of hydrogen peroxide above 0.5 mM. Like the 2-Cys peroxiredoxins from a related helminth, Schistosoma mansoni, steady-state kinetics indicate that FhePrx exhibits a saturable, single displacement-like reaction mechanism rather than non-saturable double displacement (ping-pong) enzyme substitution mechanism common to other peroxiredoxins. However, unlike the schistosome Prxs, FhePrx could not utilise reducing equivalents supplied by glutathione or glutathione reductase.