ADH5 belongs to the alcohol dehydrogenase family which metabolizes a large selection of substrates， such as retinol， ethanol， other aliphatic alcohols， hydroxysteroids， and lipid peroxidation products. ADH5 has practically no activity for ethanol oxidation， but displays high activity for oxidation of long-chain primary alcohols and for oxidation of S-hydroxymethyl-glutathione， a spontaneous adduct between glutathione and formaldehyde. ADH5 enzyme is a key factor of cellular metabolism for the removal of formaldehyde， a powerful aggravating and alerting mediator which causes pharyngitis， lacrymation， rhinitis and contact dermatitis.
