Oxygenation of (3Z)-alkenals to 4-hydroxy-(2E)-alkenals in plant extracts: a nonenzymatic process

There is large interest in 4-hydroxy-(2E)-alkenals because of their cytotoxicity in mammals. However, the biosynthetic pathway for these compounds has not been elucidated yet. In plants, 4-hydroxy-(2E)-alkenals were supposed to be derived by the subsequent actions of lipoxygenase and a peroxygenase on (3Z)-alkenals. The presence of 9-hydroxy-12-oxo-(10E)-dodecenoic acid (9-hydroxy-traumatin) in incubations of 12-oxo-(9Z)-dodecenoic acid (traumatin) in the absence of lipoxygenase or peroxygenase, has prompted us to reinvestigate its mode of formation. We show here that in vitro 9-hydroxy-traumatin, 4-hydroxy-(2E)-hexenal and 4-hydroxy-(2E)-nonenal, are formed in a nonenzymatic process. Furthermore, a novel product derived from traumatin was observed and identified as 11-hydroxy-12-oxo-(9Z)-dodecenoic acid. The results obtained here strongly suggest that the 4-hydroxy-(2E)-alkenals, observed in crude extracts of plants, are mainly due to autoxidation of (3Z)-hexenal, (3Z)-nonenal and traumatin. This may have implications for the in vivo existence and previously proposed physiological significance of these products in plants.