Aldehyde

Aldehydes are a class of organic compounds defined by the presence of a formyl group (–CHO), consisting of a carbonyl (C=O) bonded to a hydrogen and an R group, where R can be any organic substituent[1][10]. They serve as intermediates in metabolic pathways, are involved in biosynthesis and catabolic reactions, and can be toxic when accumulated in cells, usually being metabolized by specific enzymes such as aldehyde dehydrogenases[3][5]. Aldehydes are not considered therapeutic targets on their own but play fundamental roles as substrates and metabolic intermediates in biological systems[2][8]. Aldehyde, as such, does not meet the criteria as a specific molecular target for therapeutic drugs, biomarker selection, or safety profiling. In medicinal chemistry and pharmacology, the actual targets are usually the enzymes or proteins that interact with specific aldehyde molecules, such as aldehyde dehydrogenase, not the aldehyde functional group overall[3][5].

Other names

Formyl groupaldehyde group