Reactive carbonyl species

Reactive carbonyl species (RCS) are molecules with highly reactive carbonyl groups, and often known for their damaging effects on proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids.

Important RCSs include 3-deoxyglucosone, glyoxal, and methylglyoxal.

RCSs react with amines and thiol groups leading to advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs).

AGE's are indicators of diabetes.

[1] Reactive aldehyde species (RASP),[2] such as malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxynonenal, are a subset of RCS that are implicated in a variety of human diseases.

3-Deoxyglucosone, a common RCS, rapidly reacts with protein amino groups to form AGEs.