Evidence that endogenous formaldehyde produces immunogenic and atherogenic adduct epitopes.

Endogenous formaldehyde is abundantly present in our bodies, at around 100 µM under normal conditions. While such high steady state levels of formaldehyde may be derived by enzymatic reactions including oxidative demethylation/deamination and myeloperoxidation, it is unclear whether endogenous formaldehyde can initiate and/or promote diseases in humans. Here, we show that fluorescent malondialdehyde-formaldehyde (M2FA)-lysine adducts are immunogenic without adjuvants in mice.