Recently, mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH-2) was reported to reduce ischemic damage in an experimental myocardial infarction model. ALDH-2 activity is redox-sensitive. Therefore, we here compared effects of various electrophiles (organic nitrates, reactive fatty acid metabolites, or oxidants) on the activity of ALDH-2 with special emphasis on organic nitrate-induced inactivation of the enzyme, the biochemical correlate of nitrate tolerance. Recombinant human ALDH-2 was overexpressed in Escherichia coli; activity was determined with an HPLC-based assay, and reactive oxygen and nitrogen species formation was determined by chemiluminescence, fluorescence, protein tyrosine nitration, and diaminonaphthalene nitrosation. The organic nitrate glyceryl trinitrate caused a severe concentration-dependent decrease in enzyme activity, whereas incubation with pentaerythritol tetranitrate had only minor effects. 4-Hydroxynonenal, an oxidized prostaglandin J 2 , and 9-or 10-nitrooleate caused a significant inhibition of ALDH-2 activity, which was improved in the presence of Mg 2؉ and Ca 2؉ . Hydrogen peroxide and NO generation caused only minor inhibition of ALDH-2 activity, whereas peroxynitrite generation or bolus additions lead to severe impairment of the enzymatic activity, which was prevented by the thioredoxin/ thioredoxin reductase (Trx/TrxR) system. In the presence of glyceryl trinitrate and to a lesser extent pentaerythritol tetranitrate, ALDH-2 may be switched to a peroxynitrite synthase. Electrophiles of different nature potently regulate the enzymatic activity of ALDH-2 and thereby may influence the resistance to ischemic damage in response to myocardial infarction. The Trx/TrxR system may play an important role in this process because it not only prevents inhibition of ALDH-2 but is also inhibited by the ALDH-2 substrate 4-hydroxynonenal.
Aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDH)3 contribute to detoxification of toxic aldehydes. The mitochondrial isoform (ALDH-2) is a major sink for acetaldehyde formed from ethanol metabolism, and the East Asian variant (ALDH2*2, E504K) is responsible for alcohol intolerance in a large part of the East Asian population (1). In 2002, Chen et al. (2) identified the ALDH-2 as an organic nitrate reductase, important for the bioactivation of nitroglycerin (glyceryl trinitrate (GTN)), and thereby identified the yet unknown "enzyme receptor" for the vasodilatory action of GTN. The role of ALDH-2 for GTN bioactivation and development of nitrate tolerance was confirmed in animal experimental (3) and human studies (4). A proof at the molecular level was provided using ALDH-2 Ϫ/Ϫ mice showing impaired GTN potency but normal responses to the NO donor sodium nitroprusside and isosorbide dinitrate (5). This finding was extended by demonstrating in ALDH-2 Ϫ/Ϫ mice that pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) and its trinitrate metabolite (PETriN) but not the di-and mononitrate metabolites (PEDN and PEMN) are bioactivated by ALDH-2 (6). Mechanistic studies on ALDH-2 inactivation revealed that reactiv...