This initiates a series of radical chain reactions, resulting in the formation of lipid hydroperoxides, intramolecular rearrangement and chain-breaking reactions [3]. The peroxidation ofmembrane lipids containingω-3 and/orω-6 polyunsaturated
fatty acids results in the formation of several classes of reactive aldehydes, including malondialdehyde (MDA), acrolein, and 4-hydroxyalkenals [4–8]. Some of the aldehydes are not cleared from the cell and
exhibit cytotoxic effects [9–11]. The most extensively studied of the lipid electrophiles is HNE, an α,β-unsaturated aldehyde that is highly reactive and readily binds to proteins, DNA and phospholipids. Due to the presence of a conjugated double bond between the α and β carbons, the β carbon of these aldehydes is electron-deficient, rendering HNE readily reactive with nucleophilic amino acid side chains on target proteins through Michael addition to thiols and amines.