The reactive advanced glycation end product (AGE) precursor methylglyoxal (MGO) and MGO-derived AGEs are associated with diabetic vascular complications and also with an increase in oxidative stress. Glyoxalase-I (GLO-I) transgenic rats were used to explore whether overexpression of this MGO detoxifying enzyme reduces levels of AGEs and oxidative stress in a rat model of diabetes. Rats were made diabetic with streptozotocin, and after 12 weeks, plasma and multiple tissues were isolated for analysis of AGEs, carbonyl stress, and oxidative stress. GLO-I activity was significantly elevated in multiple tissues of all transgenic rats compared with wild-type (WT) littermates. Streptozotocin treatment resulted in a 5-fold increase in blood glucose concentrations irrespective of GLO-I overexpression. Levels of MGO, glyoxal, 3-deoxyglucosone, AGEs, and oxidative stress markers nitrotyrosine, malondialdehyde, and F2-isoprostane were elevated in the diabetic WT rats. In diabetic GLO-I rats, glyoxal and MGO composite scores were significantly decreased by 81%, and plasma AGEs and oxidative stress markers scores were significantly decreased by ϳ50%. Hyperglycemia induced a decrease in protein levels of the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation complex in the gastrocnemius muscle, which was accompanied by an increase in the lipid peroxidation product 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, and this was counteracted by GLO-I overexpression. This study shows for the first time in an in vivo model of diabetes that GLO-I overexpression reduces hyperglycemia-induced levels of carbonyl stress, AGEs, and oxidative stress. The reduction of oxidative stress by GLO-I overexpression directly demonstrates the link between glycation and oxidative stress.Prolonged exposure to hyperglycemia has detrimental effects on various cellular functions and is believed to be the most important factor in the development of vascular complications in diabetes. One of the hypotheses about how hyperglycemia leads to complications is the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) 3 (1). In addition to the formation of AGEs by the classical Maillard reaction (2, 3), dicarbonyls such as methylglyoxal (MGO), glyoxal (GO), and 3-deoxyglucocone (3-DG) are also known to form AGEs. MGO is probably the most important precursor in this formation of AGEs (4). This highly reactive oxo-aldehyde is formed mainly by the non-enzymatic and enzymatic fragmentation of the triose phosphates glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate. MGO reacts primarily with arginine residues to form the major AGEs, hydroimidazolone (MG-H1), argpyrimidine (AP) and tetrahydropyrimidine (THP), and with lysine residues to minor AGEs such as N⑀-(1-carboxyethyl)lysine (CEL). MGO is efficiently detoxified by the glyoxalase system. In this pathway MGO reacts with reduced glutathione (GSH) to a hemithioacetal adduct and then to S-Dlactoyl-glutathione, which is catalyzed by glyoxalase-I (GLO-I). This product is converted into D-lactate by glyoxalase-II, thereby reforming the consumed GSH. A s...