Lipid peroxidation of microsomal membranes produces a large number of aldehydes, alcohols, and ketones, of which some are cytotoxic. trans-4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal (4HN) and trans-2-hexenal (HX) are two alpha-beta unsaturated aldehydes which are major and minor lipid peroxidation products, respectively. The role of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in the oxidation of 4HN and HX was examined using semipurified mitochondrial, cytosolic, and microsomal ALDH isozymes prepared from male Sprague-Dawley rat liver. High- and low- affinity mitochondrial and high-affinity cytosolic ALDH isozymes were able to oxidize 4HN. The affinities of the three isozymes for 4HN, reported as the V/K values, are 0.258, 0.032 and 0.030 nmol NADH formed/min/mg protein/mumol 4HN/liter, respectively. The low-affinity cytosolic and microsomal forms of ALDH are unable to oxidize 4HN. The high-affinity mitochondrial, low-affinity cytosolic, and microsomal ALDH isozymes oxidized HX, displaying V/K values of 0.600, 0.058, and 0.058 nmol NADH formed/min/mg protein/mumol HX/liter, respectively. Oxidation of HX by the low-affinity mitochondrial and high-affinity cytosolic isozyme was not detected. This study indicates that ALDH may participate in the in vivo metabolism of cytotoxic aldehydic products formed during lipid peroxidation.