Dysfunctional Mitophagy in the Aging Brain

In conclusion, mitophagy pathways play an important role in maintaining physiological homeostasis, are involved in the mechanisms of aging and neurodegenerative disorders, and represent promising targets for the development of potential therapeutic agents aimed at regulating mitochondria quality control in neurons and glial cells. A significant number of molecules that induce or inhibit mitophagy are currently under consideration, which may be useful for testing hypotheses or developing drugs for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The validation of promising drugs in animal and cell models, including neurons and glial cells derived from human iPSCs as well as the elucidation of mitophagy regulation mechanisms in human samples, requires reliable biomarkers. Currently, specific biomarkers that reflect the activity of mitophagy include ubiquitin phosphorylated at serine 65, phosphorylated PINK1 and parkin, the expression and phosphorylation of several proteins of the outer mitochondrial membrane, in addition to general biomarkers of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. At the same time, given the variety of the regulatory pathways of mitophagy, there is no doubt that this list will be expanded, eventually including indicators that reflect the state of mitophagy in certain types of cells of the nervous tissue.
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs