Influences of ethanol on the structure of toxic trans-crotonaldehyde in mitochondria coming from rat myocardium

Inappropriate use of ethanol (EtOH) had led to noticeable health problems, but a beneficial phenomenon was found that EtOH displayed unique influences for toxic trans-crotonaldehyde (TCA) derived from mitochondrial lipid peroxidation. The influences of EtOH on the structure of TCA were systematically probed by UV-vis & Raman spectroscopy in the absence and presence of mitochondria, respectively. The maximum UV-vis peak at 301 nm of TCA was red shifted by hydroxyl (-OH) and methyl (-CH(3)) of EtOH, respectively. Raman stretching band of aldehyde (-CH=O) of TCA (TCA-CH=O) was split by the -CH(3) of EtOH. The -CH(3) increased TCA-CH=O stretching frequency while the -OH induced it. The more exposed -OH, the less stretching frequency. The ectopic -CH(3) red shifted the UV-vis peak at 301 nm and Raman band of TCA-CH=O. In mitochondria, EtOH red shifted Raman stretching band of TCA-CH=O. Raman stretching bands of C-H, C-O and C-C of EtOH were red shifted, while Raman stretching bands of -CH(2) and C-C-O of EtOH disappeared. The paper unearths the influences of EtOH to trap and transform the structure of TCA-CH=O. This discovery has an important contribution to eliminate TCA in order to protect and repair mtDNA by means of the decrease of 8-oxoG.