Partial Inhibition of Mitochondrial Complex I is Neuroprotective

Mitochondria are the power plants of the cell, packaging chemical energy store molecules through the activities of electron transport chain protein complexes. Some forms of interference in the operation of these complexes can be beneficial, causing mild stress that provokes the cell into greater maintenance activities. This usually results in better cell function, greater cell resilience, and so forth, leading to better organ function and a slowing of the aging process. Researchers here demonstrate that this sort of approach is beneficial in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, reducing the damage done to neurons. It is, nonetheless, a compensatory approach, not a form of repair that addresses underlying issues. The utility is necessarily limited, as those underlying issues remain in place, still causing all the other downstream harms they are capable of. Recent studies demonstrated that altered energy homeostasis associated with reduced cerebral glucose uptake and utilization, altered mitochondrial function and microglia and astrocyte activation might underlie neuronal dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Intriguingly, accumulating evidence suggests that non-pharmacological approaches, such as diet and exercise, reduce major AD hallmarks by engaging an adaptive stress response that leads to improved metabolic state, reduced oxidative stress and inflammation, and improved proteostasis. While mechanisms of the stress response are complex, AMP-activated protein ki...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs