Representing Carbonyl Stress: A New Application of TBARS

Malondialdehyde (MDA) level measured with thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method has been widely used as diagnostic indices of peroxidative tissue injury and lipid peroxidation. However, the specificity of the TBAtest toward MDA is disputed. MDA is merely one of the main unsaturated carbonyl products detected by TBA method. Since thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) including most, if not all, of the unsaturated aldehydes/ketones resulted from oxidative stress, the using of TBARS may be useful as an index of carbonyl stress.