4-hydroxy Nonenal (4-HNE) is a major aldehyde produced during the lipid peroxidation of ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as arachidonic acid and linoleic acid. It is considered a potential causal agent in numerous diseases, including chronic inflammation, neurodegenerative diseases, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and cancer, in part because it covalently modifies DNA and proteins resulting in genetic mutations and altered cell signaling, respectively. 4-HNE Alkyne is a form of 4-HNE with a terminal alkyne. Such terminal alkyne groups can be used in linking reactions, known as click chemistry, characterized by high dependability and specificity of azide-alkyne bioconjugation reactions. Click chemistry has only recently been applied to the study of oxidized lipids.
Peroxidation of common ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as linoleic acid, DGLA, and arachidonic acid can give rise to 4-HNE. 4-HNE is cleared rapidly from the plasma and undergoes enterohepatic circulation as a glutathione conjugate in the rat. About two thirds of an administered dose of 4-HNE is excreted within 48 hours in the urine, primarily in the form of mercapturic acid conjugates. The C-1 aldehyde of 4-HNE is reduced to an alcohol in about half of these metabolites. The remainder are C-1 aldehydes or have been oxidized to C-1 carboxylic acids. These aldehydes and carboxylic acids can also form γ-lactols and γ-lactones, respectively, producing at least 4 or 5 end urinary metabolites of 4-HNE in vivo.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids such as arachidonate and linoeate, while essential to health maintenance, are subject to random peroxidation by ambient oxygen, resulting in fragmented and reactive decomposition products. One prominent autoxidation product of either trilinolein or arachidonic acid is trans-4,5-epoxy-2(E)-decenal. One prominent autoxidation product of either trilinolein or arachidonic acid is trans-4,5-epoxy-2(E)-decenal. This aldehyde is responsible for a pungent metallic flavor of decomposed lipids, with a detection threshold of 1.5 pg/l in air.[1] trans-4,5-epoxy-2(E)-Decenal also reacts with nucleophiles (lysine amino groups) on proteins, leading to loss of cell function and viability.[2] This reactive aldehyde is therefore a useful tool in elucidating the effects of peroxidative damage in experimental models.
13(S)-HpOTrE is a monohydroperoxy polyunsaturated fatty acid produced in soybeans by the action of soybean LO-2 on esterified α-linolenic acid.[1] Incubation of soybean seedling biomembranes with soybean LO-2 catalyzes the formation of both 9- and 13-HpOTrE in a molar ratio of 10:1.1 In plants, 13(S)-HpOTrE can be metabolized by the hydroperoxide lyase pathway producing aldehyde and oxoacid fragments, or by the hydroperoxide dehydratase pathway producing jasmonic acid.[2],[3],[4] Treatment of tomato leaves with 13-HpOTrE causes induction of proteinase inhibitors, simulating the normal response to wounding.5 This data suggests that in plants 13(S)-HpOTrE may participate in a lipid-based signalling system initiated by insect and pathogen attack.
Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a bioactive lipid crucial in numerous signaling pathways, undergoes irreversible degradation by membrane-bound S1P lyase, producing (E)-2-Hexadecenal, a derivative of sphingolipid breakdown. This compound can be oxidized to (2E)-hexadecenoic acid by long-chain fattyaldehyde dehydrogenase before being activated through linkage to coenzyme A. Notably, (E)-2-Hexadecenal induces cytoskeletal reorganization, leading to cell rounding, detachment, activation of JNK pathway targets, and ultimate apoptosis in a variety of cell types. Furthermore, it readily forms aldehyde-derived DNA adducts through reactions with deoxyguanosine and DNA.
PON-PC, an oxidized phospholipid with a 9-carbon fatty acyl chain ending in an aldehyde at the sn-2 position, arises from the oxidation of palmitoyl oleoyl phosphatidylcholine (POPC) or through interaction with ozone in pulmonary surfactant. It is found in oxidized LDL. At a 40 µM concentration, PON-PC diminishes the production of TNF-α, nitric oxide (NO), and NADP+ in primary mouse alveolar macrophages and lowers the bactericidal capability of RAW 264.7 cells. Additionally, levels of PON-PC increase in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of mice exposed to cigarette smoke or in older mice.