Molecular aging of proteins results from the complex association of different reactions that lead to the progressive alteration of their structural and functional properties. These reactions, which include oxidation, glycoxidation, carbonylation and carbamylation, occur during aging and are amplified in various chronic diseases such as diabetes or chronic renal failure. Specific compounds generated throughout this process called post-translational modification derived products (PTMDPs) have been suggested to be promising biomarkers for the management of chronic diseases. During the last decades, the emergence of mass spectrometry and proteomics has largely contributed to the development of sensitive and specific analytical methods devoted to PTMDP quantification in biological fluids. This review aimed at providing evidences for the clinical relevance of PTMDPs as biomarkers in chronic diseases, and at emphasizing on the contribution of mass spectrometric and proteomic methods in this field. Different issues that should be addressed in order to ensure the implementation of these biomarkers in clinical practice have been highlighted. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Posttranslational Protein modifications in biology and Medicine.
Keywords: Biomarker; Carbamylation; Glycoxidation; Oxidation; Protein molecular aging; Proteomics.
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