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Methylglyoxal
Methylglyoxal, also called pyruvaldehyde or 2-oxo-propanal (CH3-CO-CH=O or C3H4O2) is the aldehyde form of pyruvic acid. It has two carbonyl groups, so it is a dicarbonyl compound. Methylglyoxal is both an aldehyde and a ketone. Methylglyoxal is also called a ketal, because it has an aldehydic and ketonic carbonyl group. Additional recommended knowledgeIn organisms, methylglyoxal is formed as a side-product of several metabolic pathways.[1] It may form from 3-amino acetone, which is an intermediate of threonine catabolism, as well as through lipid peroxidation. However, the most important source is glycolysis. Here, methylglyoxal arises from non enzymatic phosphate elimination from glyceraldehyde phosphate en dihydroxyacetone phosphate, two intermediates of glycolysis. Since methylglyoxal is highly cytotoxic the body developed several detoxification mechanisms. One of these is the glyoxalase system. Methylglyoxal reacts with glutathione forming a hemithioacetal. This is converted into S-D-Lactoyl-Glutathione by glyoxalase I,[2] and then further metabolised into D-lactate by glyoxalase II.[3] Why methylglyoxal is produced remains unknown, but several articles indicate that methylglyoxal is involved in the formation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs). In fact, methylglyoxal is proven to be the most important glycation agent (forming AGEs) [4]. In this process, methylglyoxal reacts with free amino groups of lysine and arginine residues of proteins forming AGEs. Other glycation agents include reducing sugars like:
References
Categories: Aldehydes | Ketones | Metabolism |
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Methylglyoxal". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia. |