associatedModerate evidence
Diabetes complications and aging
Elevated CML has been associated with diabetic complications and age-related tissue changes in observational studies.1
Glycome Atlas
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Glycome Atlas
molecule
Also known as CML, N-epsilon-carboxymethyllysine, Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine
Plain-language answer
Carboxymethyllysine, or CML, is one of the best-studied advanced glycation end products. It forms when sugars and their reactive breakdown products modify the amino acid lysine in proteins, leaving a stable chemical tag.1
Because CML is stable and measurable, researchers use it as a marker of cumulative glycation and oxidative stress. Higher tissue and blood CML has been associated with diabetes complications and aging, though it is a research measure rather than a routine clinical test.1
Technical detail
Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine is a non-crosslinking advanced glycation end product generated by oxidative degradation of Amadori products and by reaction of lysine with glyoxal, widely used as a quantifiable index of glycoxidative protein modification.1
CML forms through oxidative cleavage of fructoselysine (the Amadori product) and via reaction of lysine with reactive dicarbonyls such as glyoxal, linking its accumulation to both glycemic and oxidative exposure.1
CML is measured in serum, urine, or tissue by immunoassay or mass spectrometry; because assays and matrices differ, values are best interpreted as a within-method research signal rather than against a clinical reference interval.1
Human relevance
Elevated CML has been associated with diabetic complications and age-related tissue changes in observational studies.1
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References