Malondialdehyde-Induced Post-Translational Modification of Human Hemoglobin

Lysine residues in proteins undergo multiple enzymatic and nonenzymatic post-translational modifications (PTMs). The terminal ε amine group of lysine residues in proteins is carbonylated chemically by carbonyl species such as glyoxal (GO; OCH-CHO, C₂H₂O₂; MW 58) and methylglyoxal (MGO; OCH-C(=O)-CH₃, C₃H₄O₂; MW 72) that are derived from the metabolism of endogenous substances including glucose. The dicarbonyl species malondialdehyde (MDA, OCH-CH₂-CHO, C₃H₄O₂; MW 72) is generated by enzymatic and nonenzymatic peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). GO, MGO, and MDA occur in biological systems in their free forms and in their conjugated forms adducted to free amino acids and amino acid residues in proteins, notably to lysine. MDA is a C-H-acidic acid (pK_a, 4.45). Biological MDA is widely used as a biomarker of lipid peroxidation. The most frequently analyzed biological samples for MDA are plasma and serum. Reportedly, MDA concentrations in plasma and serum samples of healthy and ill humans range by several orders of magnitude. The most severe preanalytical contributor is artificial formation of MDA in lipid-rich samples such as plasma and serum. In very few publications, plasma MDA concentrations were reported to lie in the lower mM-range.