IS METHYLGLYOXAL AN ENDOGENOUS TOXIN?

IS METHYLGLYOXAL AN ENDOGENOUS TOXIN? Methylglyoxal is a very reactive alpha-oxoaldehyde putatively produced by glycolysis, cytochrome P-450-catalyzed acetone oxidation and aminoacetone oxidation. Methylglyoxal has been pointed as a substrate for the glyoxalase system ultimately energy-yielding pyruvate, but methylglyoxal is also a toxicant involved in protein aggregation and DNA modification. Controversial hypothesis on methylglyoxal as an anticancer agent, an energy-yielding glycolysis intermediates, and as a regulator of cell division have also been proposed. Methylglyoxal research focuses now on unveiling its biological properties and on the discovery of drugs capable to inhibit its toxic effects, principally in diabetes.