Methylglyoxal

About: Methylglyoxal is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2844 publications have been published within this topic receiving 102037 citations. The topic is also known as: acetylformaldehyde & pyruvaldehyde.

Increased Methylglyoxal and Oxidative Stress in Hypertensive Rat Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Abstract: Methylglyoxal can yield advanced glycation end products via nonenzymatic glycation of proteins. Whether methylglyoxal contributes to the pathogenesis of hypertension has not been clear. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the levels of methylglyoxal and methylglyoxal-induced advanced glycation end products were enhanced and whether methylglyoxal increased oxidative stress, activated nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), and increased intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) content in vascular smooth muscle cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats. Basal cellular levels of methylglyoxal and advanced glycation end products were more than 2-fold higher (P<0.05) in cells from hypertensive rats than from normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats. This correlated with levels of oxidative stress and oxidized glutathione that were significantly higher in cells from hypertensive rats, whereas levels of glutathione and activities of glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase were significantly lower. Basal levels of nuclearly localized NF-kappaB p65 and ICAM-1 protein expression were higher in cells from hypertensive rats than from normotensive rats. Addition of exogenous methylglyoxal to the cultures induced a greater increase in oxidative stress and advanced glycation end products in cells from hypertensive rats compared with normotensive rats and significantly decreased the activities of glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase in cells of both rat strains. Methylglyoxal activated NF-kappaB p65 and increased ICAM-1 expression in hypertensive cells, which was inhibited by N-acetylcysteine. Our study demonstrates an elevated methylglyoxal level and advanced glycation end products in cells from hypertensive rats, and methylglyoxal increases oxidative stress, activates NF-kappaB, and enhances ICAM-1 expression. Our findings suggest that that elevated methylglyoxal and associated oxidative stress possibly contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertension.

Cinnamon bark proanthocyanidins as reactive carbonyl scavengers to prevent the formation of advanced glycation endproducts

Abstract: Cinnamon bark has been reported to be effective in the alleviation of diabetes through its antioxidant and insulin-potentiating activities. In this study, the inhibitory effect of cinnamon bark on the formation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) was investigated in a bovine serum albumin (BSA)-glucose model. Several phenolic compounds, such as catechin, epicatechin, and procyanidin B2, and phenol polymers were identified from the subfractions of aqueous cinnamon extract. These compounds showed significant inhibitory effects on the formation of AGEs. Their antiglycation activities were not only brought about by their antioxidant activities but also related to their trapping abilities of reactive carbonyl species such as methylglyoxal (MGO), an intermediate reactive carbonyl of AGE formation. Preliminary study on the reaction between MGO and procyanidin B2 revealed that MGO-procyanidin B2 adducts are primary products which are supposed to be stereoisomers. This is the first report that proanthocyanidins can effectively scavenge reactive carbonyl species and thus inhibit the formation of AGEs. As proanthocyanidins behave in a similar fashion as aminoguanidine (AG), the first AGE inhibitor explored in clinical trials, they show great potential to be developed as agents to alleviate diabetic complications.

Molecular characteristics of methylglyoxal-modified bovine and human serum albumins. Comparison with glucose-derived advanced glycation endproduct-modified serum albumins.

Abstract: The amino acid modification, gel filtration chromatographic, and electrophoretic characteristics of bovine and human serum albumins irreversibly modified by methylglyoxal (MG-SA) and by glucose-derived advanced glycation endproducts (AGE-SA) were investigated. Methylglyoxal selectively modified arginine residues at low concentration (1 mM); at high methylglyoxal concentration (100 mM), the extent of arginine modification increased and lysine residues were also modified. Both arginine and lysine residues were modified in AGE-SA. Analytical gel filtration HPLC of serum albumin derivatives suggested that the proportion of dimers and oligomers increased with modification in both low and highly modified MG-SA and AGE-SA derivatives relative to unmodified serum albumins. In SDS-PAGE analysis, dimers and oligomers of low-modified MG-SA were dissociated into monomers, but not in highly modified MG-SA. MG-SA had increased anodic electrophoretic mobility under nondenaturing conditions at pH 8.6, indicating an increased net negative charge, which increased with extent of modification; highly modified MG-SA and AGE-SA had similar high electrophoretic mobilities. MG-SA derivatives were fluorescent: the fluorescence was characteristic of the arginine-derived imidazolone N delta-(5-methyl-4-imidazolon-2-yl)ornithine, but other fluorophores were also present. AGE-SA had similar fluorescence, attributed, in part, to glucose-derived imidazolones. AGE formed from glucose-modified proteins and AGE-like compounds formed from methylglyoxal-modified proteins may both be signals for recognition and degradation of senescent macromolecules.