Purification and Characterization of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2)

In 2023, alcohol use disorders (AUDs) affected 28.9 million individuals in the United States, including adolescents. Among them, approximately 757,000 fell between the ages of 12-17. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is a mitochondrial enzyme which plays a critical role in alcohol metabolism, responsible for oxidizing the toxic byproduct of acetaldehyde into acetate. The oxidation of ethanol is essential in preventing the accumulation of acetaldehyde, which can lead to adverse physiological effects, including nausea, alcohol-induced liver damage and increased cancer susceptibility.