Skip to main content
. 2020 Jul 24;39(35):5709–5720. doi: 10.1038/s41388-020-01395-9

Table 1.

List of toxic metabolites.

Category Toxic metabolite Related pathway Ref supporting toxic property
ROSgens Hydrogen selenide Selenocysteine synthesis [27, 28, 113]
Bilirubin Heme degradation [2933]
Hypoxanthine Purine metabolism [34, 35]
Agmatine Arginine catabolism [36, 37]
Spermidine Arginine catabolism [38, 41]
Spermine Arginine catabolism [3941]
3-Hydroxyanthranilate Tryptophan degradation [42, 43]
Cysteamine Taurine synthesis [4446]
Reactive metabolites (Aldehydes, reactive to thiols, etc.) Formaldehyde By product of oxidative demethylation/deamination [20, 115]
Malondialdehyde Lipid peroxidation byproduct [49]
4-hydroxynonenal Lipid peroxidation byproduct [50, 51]
Crotonaldehyde Lipid peroxidation byproduct [52]
4-oxononenal Lipid peroxidation byproduct [51]
Acrolein Lipid peroxidation byproduct [53]
3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde Dopamine degradation [54]
Methylglyoxal Various [5559]
Methacrylyl-CoA Valine catabolism [60, 61]
Glutaconyl-CoA Valine catabolism [62]
Xanthurenic Acid Tryptophan degradation [63, 64]
Toxic analogs dUTP Nucleotide synthesis [6971]
S-adenosylhomocysteine Transmethylation [7274]
L-2-hydroxyglutarate Promiscuous reaction of LDH and MDH [7783]
Excitotoxins Quinolinic acid Kynurenine degradation [85, 86]
3-hydroxyglutaric acid Kynurenine degradation [87, 88]
Glutaric acid Kynurenine degradation [88]
Homocysteine Homocysteine synthesis [8991]
Not Established Dehydroepiandrosterone Steroid hormone synthesis [9498]
Ceramide Sphingolipid synthesis [99, 100]
Squalene Steroid hormone synthesis [101103, 116]
4-methylthio-2-oxobutanoate Methionine salvage pathway [104, 105]
Fumarylacetoacetate Tyrosine degradation [107109]
Gangliosides Ganglioside synthesis [110, 111]
ex) Ganglioside GM3 Ganglioside synthesis [117119]
ex) Ganglioside GD3 Ganglioside synthesis [120122]