Aldehyde dehydrogenase 3 family member B2 (ALDH3B2)

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 3 family member B2 (ALDH3B2), also known as ALDH8, is a member of the aldehyde dehydrogenase superfamily that catalyzes the NAD(P)+-dependent oxidation of medium-to-long chain aliphatic aldehydes into their corresponding carboxylic acids [1, 6]. Unlike many other ALDH isoforms, ALDH3B2 is uniquely localized to lipid droplets, where it serves as a critical quality control enzyme by detoxifying reactive lipid-derived aldehydes, such as 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), generated during lipid peroxidation [4, 25]. In healthy human tissues, its expression is highly restricted, primarily found in the salivary glands [3, 21]. However, ALDH3B2 is frequently overexpressed in various malignancies, including gastric cancer and cholangiocarcinoma, where it promotes tumor cell proliferation, invasion, and survival by mitigating oxidative stress [2, 4, 19]. Due to its role in cancer progression and its limited expression in normal tissues, ALDH3B2 is considered a promising therapeutic target and a potential prognostic biomarker [4, 19]. While specific inhibitors are still in the early stages of research, non-selective ALDH inhibitors like disulfiram are known to affect its activity, and its inhibition is being explored as a strategy to induce proteotoxic and oxidative stress in cancer cells [11, 27].

Other names

ALDH8Aldehyde dehydrogenase 8Long-chain fatty aldehyde dehydrogenaseAcetaldehyde dehydrogenase 8Aldehyde dehydrogenase family 3 member B2

Inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase activity, leading to the accumulation of reactive aldehydes and increased oxidative stress