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ARS Home » Plains Area » Grand Forks, North Dakota » Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center » Dietary Prevention of Obesity-related Disease Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #250009
Title: Trans-4-hydroxy-2-hexenal, a product of n-3 fatty acid peroxidation: make some room HNE…

Author
item LONG, ERIC - University Of North Dakota
item Picklo, Matthew

Submitted to: Free Radical Biology and Medicine
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2010
Publication Date: 7/1/2010
Citation: Long, E.K., Picklo, M.J. 2010. Trans-4-hydroxy-2-hexenal, a product of n-3 fatty acid peroxidation: make some room HNE…. Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 49(1):1-8.

Interpretive Summary: Lipid peroxidation generates a number of aldehydes that alter cellular function. To date a major emphasis has been upon the study of aldehydes generated from n-6 fatty acids while relatively little is known regarding those aldehydes generated from n-3 fatty acids like DHA and EPA. In this review the data regarding the n-3 fatty acid aldehyde, 4-hydroxy-2-hexenal (HHE) are summarized. Areas for further research are detailed.

Technical Abstract: Lipid peroxidation yields multiple aldehyde species. Of these, trans-4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), derived from n-6 poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA’s) is one of the most studied products of lipid peroxidation. On the other hand, oxidative damage to n-3 PUFA’s, e.g. docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid, is now recognized as an important effector of oxidative stress and is of particular interest in n-3 rich tissues such as brain and retina. Trans-4-hydroxy-2-hexenal (HHE) is a major a,ß-unsaturated aldehyde product of n-3 PUFA oxidation and, like HNE, is an active biochemical mediator resulting from lipid peroxidation. HHE adducts are elevated in disease states, in some cases, at higher levels than the corresponding HNE adduct. HHE has properties in common with HNE, but there are important differences particularly with respect to adduction targets and detoxification pathways. In this review, the biochemistry and cell biology of HHE will be discussed. From this review, it is clear that further study is needed to determine the biochemical and physiological roles of HHE and its related aldehyde, trans-4-oxo-2-hexenal.