glyoxalase
|gly-ox-a-lase|
🇺🇸
/ˌɡlaɪˈɑksəleɪs/
🇬🇧
/ˌɡlaɪˈɒksəleɪs/
enzyme that detoxifies glyoxal/methylglyoxal
Etymology
'glyoxalase' originates from the chemical name 'glyoxal' combined with the enzyme-forming suffix '-ase', where '-ase' denotes an enzyme.
'glyoxalase' was formed by attaching the suffix '-ase' to 'glyoxal' in biochemical nomenclature in the 20th century to name enzymes (e.g., glyoxalase I and II) involved in glyoxal metabolism.
Initially it named an enzyme acting on glyoxal; over time it has been used more broadly to refer to the glyoxalase enzyme(s) or the glyoxalase system as a whole.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an enzyme (or enzyme system) that catalyzes the detoxification of reactive dicarbonyl compounds such as methylglyoxal, typically referring to the glyoxalase system (glyoxalase I and II) that converts methylglyoxal to D-lactate in a glutathione-dependent pathway.
The glyoxalase system protects cells by converting methylglyoxal into less harmful compounds.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/30 03:25