methylglyoxal

1 9.9

A small chemical made when the body breaks down sugar that reacts with and can damage cells or proteins

noun
/ˌmɛθəlɡlaɪˈoʊsəl/

Specialized

: metilglioxal

The honey contains the naturally occurring antibacterial MGO (methylglyoxal).

Examples

In 2009, Nakayama et al. demonstrated that sugar-containing soft drinks (they didn't specify which sweetener had been used, just that they contained glucose) raised both glucose and methylglyoxal blood levels.

Blog text (5)
Reactive carbonyls, like glyoxal, methylglyoxal, and 3-deoxyglucosone, are breakdown products of the initial Maillard reaction.

Blog text (5)
Methylglyoxal is produced during the metabolism of glucose in our bodies.
High levels of methylglyoxal can lead to cell damage and various health issues.
Research shows that certain foods, like honey, contain methylglyoxal, which may have antibacterial properties.

Surface Forms

methylglyoxal singular

methylglyoxals plural

Morphology

methylglyoxal = glyoxal (semi-transparent) = methyl + glyoxal

The form is transparently 'methyl' + 'glyoxal' in chemical nomenclature (a methyl-substituted glyoxal), but the components and resulting meaning are technical and not obvious to average B1 learners.

Etymology

Methylglyoxal breaks into methyl, a very small part of a molecule like in methane, and glyco 'sweet' plus oxal 'acid-like'. So, the name shows it is a small, reactive chemical made from sugar and found in the body and some foods.