• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.147-160
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a high concentration of uremic toxins in their blood and often experience muscle atrophy. Indoxyl sulfate (IS) is a uremic toxin produced by tryptophan metabolism. Although an elevated IS level may induce muscle dysfunction, the effect of IS on physiological concentration has not been elucidated. Additionally, the effects of ursolic acid (UA) on muscle hypertrophy have been reported in healthy models; however, it is unclear whether UA ameliorates muscle dysfunction associated with chronic diseases, such as CKD. Thus, this study aimed to investigate whether UA can improve the IS-induced impairment of mitochondrial biogenesis. MATERIALS/METHODS: C2C12 cells were incubated with or without IS (0.1 mM) and UA (1 or 2 μM) to elucidate the physiological effect of UA on CKD-related mitochondrial dysfunction and its related mechanisms using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: IS suppressed the expression of differentiation marker genes without decreasing cell viability. IS decreased the mitochondrial DNA copy number and ATP levels by downregulating the genes pertaining to mitochondrial biogenesis (Ppargc1a, Nrf1, Tfam, Sirt1, and Mef2c), fusion (Mfn1 and Mfn2), oxidative phosphorylation (Cycs and Atp5b), and fatty acid oxidation (Pdk4, Acadm, Cpt1b, and Cd36). Furthermore, IS increased the intracellular mRNA and secretory protein levels of interleukin (IL)-6. Finally, UA ameliorated the IS-induced impairment in C2C12 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that UA improves the IS-induced impairment of mitochondrial biogenesis by affecting differentiation, ATP levels, and IL-6 secretion in C2C12 cells. Therefore, UA could be a novel therapeutic agent for CKD-induced muscle dysfunction.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.18.1-18.15
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• 2022

Dysfunction of mitochondrial metabolism is implicated in cellular injury and cell death. While mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with lung injury by lung inflammation, the mechanism by which the impairment of mitochondrial ATP synthesis regulates necroptosis during acute lung injury (ALI) by lung inflammation is unclear. Here, we showed that the impairment of mitochondrial ATP synthesis induces receptor interacting serine/threonine kinase 3 (RIPK3)-dependent necroptosis during lung injury by lung inflammation. We found that the impairment of mitochondrial ATP synthesis by oligomycin, an inhibitor of ATP synthase, resulted in increased lung injury and RIPK3 levels in lung tissues during lung inflammation by LPS in mice. The elevated RIPK3 and RIPK3 phosphorylation levels by oligomycin resulted in high mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL) phosphorylation, the terminal molecule in necroptotic cell death pathway, in lung epithelial cells during lung inflammation. Moreover, the levels of protein in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were increased by the activation of necroptosis via oligomycin during lung inflammation. Furthermore, the levels of ATP5A, a catalytic subunit of the mitochondrial ATP synthase complex for ATP synthesis, were reduced in lung epithelial cells of lung tissues from patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the most severe form of ALI. The levels of RIPK3, RIPK3 phosphorylation and MLKL phosphorylation were elevated in lung epithelial cells in patients with ARDS. Our results suggest that the impairment of mitochondrial ATP synthesis induces RIPK3-dependent necroptosis in lung epithelial cells during lung injury by lung inflammation.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.193-198
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• 2014

Degradation of glucose is aberrantly increased in hyperglycemia, which causes various harmful effects on the liver. Methylglyoxal is produced during glucose degradation and the levels of methylglyoxal are increased in diabetes patients. In this study we investigated whether methylglyoxal induces mitochondrial impairment and apoptosis in HepG2 cells and induces liver toxicity in vivo. Methylglyoxal caused apoptotic cell death in HepG2 cells. Moreover, methylglyoxal significantly promoted the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and depleted glutathione (GSH) content. Pretreatment with antioxidants caused a marked decrease in methylglyoxal-induced apoptosis, indicating that oxidant species are involved in the apoptotic process. Methylglyoxal treatment induced mitochondrial permeability transition, which represents mitochondrial impairment. However, pretreatment with cyclosporin A, an inhibitor of the formation of the permeability transition pore, partially inhibited methylglyoxal-induced cell death. Furthermore, acute treatment of mice with methylglyoxal increased the plasma levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), indicating liver toxicity. Collectively, our results showed that methylglyoxal increases cell death and induces liver toxicity, which results from ROS-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.46 no.11
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• pp.655-663
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• 2023

Autophagy dysfunction is associated with human diseases and conditions including neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic issues, and chronic infections. Additionally, the decline in autophagic activity contributes to tissue and organ dysfunction and aging-related diseases. Several factors, such as down-regulation of autophagy components and activators, oxidative damage, microinflammation, and impaired autophagy flux, are linked to autophagy decline. An autophagy flux impairment (AFI) has been implicated in neurological disorders and in certain other pathological conditions. Here, to enhance our understanding of AFI, we conducted a comprehensive literature review of findings derived from two well-studied cellular stress models: glucose deprivation and replicative senescence. Glucose deprivation is a condition in which cells heavily rely on oxidative phosphorylation for ATP generation. Autophagy is activated, but its flux is hindered at the autolysis step, primarily due to an impairment of lysosomal acidity. Cells undergoing replicative senescence also experience AFI, which is also known to be caused by lysosomal acidity failure. Both glucose deprivation and replicative senescence elevate levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), affecting lysosomal acidification. Mitochondrial alterations play a crucial role in elevating ROS generation and reducing lysosomal acidity, highlighting their association with autophagy dysfunction and disease conditions. This paper delves into the underlying molecular and cellular pathways of AFI in glucose-deprived cells, providing insights into potential strategies for managing AFI that is driven by lysosomal acidity failure. Furthermore, the investigation on the roles of mitochondrial dysfunction sheds light on the potential effectiveness of modulating mitochondrial function to overcome AFI, offering new possibilities for therapeutic interventions.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.37-41
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• 2018

Mitochondrial injury in renal tubule has been recognized as a major contributor in acute kidney injury (AKI) pathogenesis. Ischemic insult, nephrotoxin, endotoxin and contrast medium destroy mitochondrial structure and function as well as their biogenesis and dynamics, especially in renal proximal tubule, to elicit ATP depletion. Mitochondrial fatty acid ${\beta}$-oxidation (FAO) is the preferred source of ATP in the kidney, and its impairment is a critical factor in AKI pathogenesis. This review explores current knowledge of mitochondrial dysfunction and energy depletion in AKI and prospective views on developing therapeutic strategies targeting mitochondrial dysfunction in AKI.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.218-223
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• 2006

Sensorineural hearing loss is frequently found in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). There have been many efforts to elucidate the etiologic factors of hearing loss in patients with CRF. However, there was not any clear identified cause of hearing loss. This study was undertaken to evaluate the activity of mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) in CRF patients with hearing impairment. To determine MRC activity, peripheral blood cells were obtained from CRF patients with hearing impairment receiving dialysis and normal subjects without any hearing problems. MRC activity of complex I and complex III was measured by the Trounces method. In MRC activities between the normal subjects group and CRF patients with hearing problems, the complex I and III activities of CRF patients with hearing problems were 63% and 85% compared with normal subjects (p<0.01). These results suggest that the activity of MRC may be implicated in the underlying mechanism of the hearing impairment in CRF patients, through mitochondrial DNA mutations at MRC complex I region with a decrement of MRC activity.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.68-73
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• 2014

With wide use of nano-materials, it is increasingly important to address their potential toxicity to mammalian cells. However, toxic effects of these materials have been mainly assessed by the cell survival assays. Considering that mitochondrial morphology and quality are highly sensitive to the condition of the cells, and the impairment of mitochondrial function greatly affect the survival of cells, here we tested the impact of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) on the survival, mitochondrial morphology, and their membrane potential in HeLa cells. Interestingly, although MWNT did not induce cell death until 24 hours as assessed by pyknotic cell assay, mitochondrial length was elongated and the mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly reduced by exposure of HeLa cells to MWNT. These results suggest that MWNT exposure is potentially harmful to the cell, and the mechanism how MWNT alters mitochondrial quality should be further explored to assess the safety of MWNT use.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.19-28
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• 2017

The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance is growing rapidly. Multiple organs including the liver, skeletal muscle and adipose tissue control insulin sensitivity coordinately, but the mechanism of skeletal muscle insulin resistance has not yet been fully elucidated. However, there is a growing body of evidence that lipotoxicity induced by mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle is an important mediator of insulin resistance. However, some recent findings suggest that skeletal mitochondrial dysfunction generated by genetic manipulation is not always correlated with insulin resistance in animal models. A high fat diet can provoke insulin resistance despite a coordinate increase in skeletal muscle mitochondria, which implies that mitochondrial dysfunction is not mandatory in insulin resistance. Furthermore, incomplete fatty acid oxidation by excessive nutrition supply compared to mitochondrial demand can induce insulin resistance without preceding impairment of mitochondrial function. Taken together we suggested that skeletal muscle mitochondrial overloading, not mitochondrial dysfunction, plays a pivotal role in insulin resistance.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.567-577
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• 2017

Obesity is known to induce inhibition of glucose uptake, reduction of lipid metabolism, and progressive loss of skeletal muscle function, which are all associated with mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle. Mitochondria are dynamic organelles that regulate cellular metabolism and bioenergetics, including ATP production via oxidative phosphorylation. Due to these critical roles of mitochondria, mitochondrial dysfunction results in various diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Obesity is associated with impairment of mitochondrial function (e.g., decrease in $O_2$ respiration and increase in oxidative stress) in skeletal muscle. The balance between mitochondrial fusion and fission is critical to maintain mitochondrial homeostasis in skeletal muscle. Obesity impairs mitochondrial dynamics, leading to an unbalance between fusion and fission by favorably shifting fission or reducing fusion proteins. Mitophagy is the catabolic process of damaged or unnecessary mitochondria. Obesity reduces mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle and increases accumulation of dysfunctional cellular organelles, suggesting that mitophagy does not work properly in obesity. Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are reported to trigger apoptosis, and mitochondrial apoptosis is induced by obesity in skeletal muscle. It is well known that exercise is the most effective intervention to protect against obesity. Although the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which exercise protects against obesity-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle are not clearly elucidated, exercise training attenuates mitochondrial dysfunction, allows mitochondria to maintain the balance between mitochondrial dynamics and mitophagy, and reduces apoptotic signaling in obese skeletal muscle.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.750-758
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• 2022

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transitional condition between normality and dementia. Ginseng is known to have effects on attenuating cognitive deficits in neurogenerative diseases. Ginsenosides are the main bioactive component of ginseng, and their protein targets have not been fully understood. Furthermore, no thorough analysis is reported in ginsenoside-related protein targets in MCI. Methods: The candidate protein targets of ginsenosides in brain tissues were identified by drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) coupled with label-free liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis. Network pharmacology approach was used to collect the therapeutic targets for MCI. Based on the above-mentioned overlapping targets, we built up a proteineprotein interaction (PPI) network in STRING database and conducted gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis. Finally, we assessed the effects of ginseng total saponins (GTS) and different ginsenosides on mitochondrial function by measuring the activity of the mitochondrial respiratory chain complex and performing molecular docking. Results: We screened 2526 MCI-related protein targets by databases and 349 ginsenoside-related protein targets by DARTS. On the basis of these 81 overlapping genes, enrichment analysis showed the mitochondria played an important role in GTS-mediated MCI pharmacological process. Mitochondrial function analysis showed GTS, protopanaxatriol (PPT), and Rd increased the activities of complex I in a dose-dependent manner. Molecular docking also predicted the docking pockets between PPT or Rd and mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I. Conclusion: This study indicated that ginsenosides might alleviate MCI by targeting respiratory chain complex I and regulating mitochondrial function, supporting ginseng's therapeutic application in cognitive deficits.