Search results for " mitochondria."

Cytoprotective Effects of Dinitrosyl Iron Complexes on Viability of Human Fibroblasts and Cardiomyocytes

2019

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signaling molecule that plays a key role in maintaining vascular homeostasis. Dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNICs) generating NO are widely used to treat cardiovascular diseases. However, the involvement of DNICs in the metabolic processes of the cell, their protective properties in doxorubicin-induced toxicity remain to be clarified. Here, we found that novel class of mononuclear DNICs with functional sulfur-containing ligands enhanced the cell viability of human lung fibroblasts and rat cardiomyocytes. Moreover, DNICs demonstrated remarkable protection against doxorubicin-induced toxicity in fibroblasts and in rat cardiomyocytes (H9c2 cells). Data revealed t…

Mitochondrial targeting as a novel therapy for stroke

2018

Stroke is a main cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Despite the increasing development of innovative treatments for stroke, most are unsuccessful in clinical trials. In recent years, an encouraging strategy for stroke therapy has been identified in stem cells transplantation. In particular, grafting cells and their secretion products are leading with functional recovery in stroke patients by promoting the growth and function of the neurovascular unit – a communication framework between neurons, their supply microvessels along with glial cells – underlying stroke pathology and recovery. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been recently recognized as a hallmark in ischemia/reperfusion neur…

Current disease modifying approaches to treat Parkinson's disease

2015

Parkinson's disease (PD is a progressive neurological disorder characterized by the degeneration and death of midbrain dopamine and non-dopamine neurons in the brain leading to motor dysfunctions and other symptoms, which seriously influence the quality of life of PD patients. The drug L-dopa can alleviate the motor symptoms in PD, but so far there are no rational therapies targeting the underlying neurodegenerative processes. Despite intensive research, the molecular mechanisms causing neuronal loss are not fully understood which has hampered the development of new drugs and disease-modifying therapies. Neurotrophic factors are by virtue of their survival promoting activities attract candi…

Can mild cognitive impairment be stabilized by showering brain mitochondria with laser photons?

2019

There is now substantial evidence that cerebral blood flow (CBF) declines with age. From age 20 to 60, CBF is estimated to dip about 16% and continues to drop at a rate of 0.4%/year. This CBF dip will slowly reduce oxygen/glucose delivery to brain thus lowering ATP energy production needed by brain cells to perform normal activities. Reduced ATP production from mitochondrial loss or damage in the wear-and-tear of aging worsens when vascular risk factors (VRF) to Alzheimer's disease develop that can accelerate both age-decline CBF and mitochondrial deficiency to a level where mild cognitive impairment (MCI) develops. To date, no pharmacological or any other treatment has been successful in r…

Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroup JT is Related to Impaired Glycaemic Control and Renal Function in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

2018

The association between mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup and risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is undetermined and controversial. This study aims to evaluate the impact of the main mtDNA haplogroups on glycaemic control and renal function in a Spanish population of 303 T2D patients and 153 healthy controls. Anthropometrical and metabolic parameters were assessed and mtDNA haplogroup was determined in each individual. Distribution of the different haplogroups was similar in diabetic and healthy populations and, as expected, T2D patients showed poorer glycaemic control and renal function than controls. T2D patients belonging to the JT haplogroup (polymorphism m.4216T&gt

2020

The transfer of metabolites through the mitochondrial membranes is a vital process that is highly controlled and regulated by the inner membrane. A variety of metabolites, nucleotides, and cofactors are transported across the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) by a superfamily of membrane transporters which are known as the mitochondrial carrier family (MCF) or the solute carrier family 25 (SLC25 protein family). In humans, the MCF has 53 members encoded by nuclear genes. Members of the SLC25 family of transporters, which is the largest group of solute carriers, are also known as mitochondrial carriers (MCs). Because MCs are nuclear-coded proteins, they must be imported into the IMM. When c…

Estimating the dwarfing rate of an extinct Sicilian elephant.

2021

Summary Evolution on islands, together with the often extreme phenotypic changes associated with it, has attracted much interest from evolutionary biologists. However, measuring the rate of change of phenotypic traits of extinct animals can be challenging, in part due to the incompleteness of the fossil record. Here, we use combined molecular and fossil evidence to define the minimum and maximum rate of dwarfing in an extinct Mediterranean dwarf elephant from Puntali Cave (Sicily). 1 Despite the challenges associated with recovering ancient DNA from warm climates, 2 we successfully retrieved a mitogenome from a sample with an estimated age between 175,500 and 50,000 years. Our results sugge…

Genetic structure and differentiation from early bronze age in the mediterranean island of sicily: Insights from ancient mitochondrial genomes

2022

Sicily is one of the main islands of the Mediterranean Sea, and it is characterized by a variety of archaeological records, material culture and traditions, reflecting the history of migrations and populations’ interaction since its first colonization, during the Paleolithic. These deep and complex demographic and cultural dynamics should have affected the genomic landscape of Sicily at different levels; however, the relative impact of these migrations on the genomic structure and differentiation within the island remains largely unknown. The available Sicilian modern genetic data gave a picture of the current genetic structure, but the paucity of ancient data did not allow so far to make p…

Mitochondrial D310 mutations in colorectal adenomas: an early but not causative genetic event during colorectal carcinogenesis.

2008

Somatic mutations of the D310 sequence of the mitochondrial DNA are reported in human cancers, including colorectal cancers (CRC). The presence of these mutations at early or late steps of colorectal carcinogenesis is unknown. Their prevalence increased significantly with the number of cytosines in the D310 sequence of the matched normal tissue (D310 polymorphism), suggesting that this polymorphism could be a risk factor for CRC. The aim of this study was (i) to investigate the prevalence of D310 mutations in 64 colorectal adenomas and 36 liver metastases from 15 CRC patients, (ii) to assess the relation between D310 polymorphism and the risk of colorectal adenoma in a case-control study in…

Potential effects of age-associated oxidative stress on mammalian oocytes/embryos

1996

This bioessay aims to explain the different effects of maternal ageing and postovulatory oocyte ageing on mammalian oocytes/embryos under the scope of 'the oxygen radical-mitochondrial injury hypothesis of ageing'. This hypothesis assumes a key role in the senescent process of oxygen radical damage to mitochondrial DNA, proteins and lipids. It is proposed that a decrease in intracellular ATP concentrations and glutathione (GSH)/glutathione disulphide (GSSG) ratio together with a concomitant increase in cytosolic Ca2+ are major factors causing the observed detrimental effects of ageing on cytoskeletal fibres, fertilization and embryo development.