![]() “I strongly believe that mitochondrial metabolism is the key to aging,” says Hemachandra Reddy of Oregon Health & Science University in Beaverton.Įven before scientists suspected a role in common diseases, mitochondria had some biological celebrity. Given the organelle’s core function in the body, some think mitochondria might even be the biological epicenter of aging itself: If you live long enough, all your cells might experience a kind of energy crisis. Evidence suggests that malfunctioning mitochondria could explain Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancer and other consequences of aging. Today, scientists suspect that millions of people may be suffering from mitochondria gone awry, in more subtle but nonetheless insidious forms. Such damage was “the first instance of a spontaneous functional defect of the mitochondrial enzyme organization.” The mysterious case of patient MBM was considered so remarkable that the Journal of Clinical Investigation published a description of it. Somehow the mitochondria inside MBM’s cells had gone haywire, becoming too large and too numerous. Thanks to mitochondria, the sandwich you had for lunch is now powering your heart and brain. It was MBM’s mitochondria, the organelles that supply the energy for cells to function. Antioxidants that target mitochondria may protect cells and spur axon and dendrite development: An untreated mouse nerve cell (left) shows less growth than does a cell treated with the antioxidant MitoQ (right). KEYS TO NERVE GROWTH In nerve cells, mitochondria are key to the growth of axons and dendrites, which send and receive signals from other cells. In the process, mitochondria generate potentially dangerous free radicals (red). ![]() Known as the cells’ powerhouses, mitochondria extract energy from fuels such as glucose in the presence of oxygen to produce a molecule called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP (green), which provides energy for the cell. PACKING POWER | Mitochondria are among the small structures called organelles that reside within a cell. When she was 35 - gaunt, weak and losing hair - doctors began searching every tissue of her body for a diagnosis. After aggressive treatment with drugs, her symptoms improved, but only for a short time, and the next year surgeons removed most of her thyroid. A dozen years later, at age 19, doctors checked her into a hospital, thinking she had some kind of unusual metabolic condition. She was endlessly thirsty, fatigued and losing weight despite a voracious appetite. She had always been prone to night sweats, but now excessive perspiration was forcing her to change clothes several times a day. The patient, known as only “MBM,” was just 7 years old the first time doctors saw her.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |