title: Mitochondrial responsibility in ageing process: innocent, suspect or guilty.
abstract: Ageing is accompanied by the accumulation of damaged molecules in cells due to the injury produced by external and internal stressors. Among them, reactive oxygen species produced by cell metabolism, inflammation or other enzymatic processes are considered key factors. However, later research has demonstrated that a general mitochondrial dysfunction affecting electron transport chain activity, mitochondrial biogenesis and turnover, apoptosis, etc., seems to be in a central position to explain ageing. This key role is based on several effects from mitochondrial-derived ROS production to the essential maintenance of balanced metabolic activities in old organisms. Several studies have demonstrated caloric restriction, exercise or bioactive compounds mainly found in plants, are able to affect the activity and turnover of mitochondria by increasing biogenesis and mitophagy, especially in postmitotic tissues. Then, it seems that mitochondria are in the centre of metabolic procedures to be modified to lengthen life- or health-span. In this review we show the importance of mitochondria to explain the ageing process in different models or organisms (e.g. yeast, worm, fruitfly and mice). We discuss if the cause of aging is dependent on mitochondrial dysfunction of if the mitochondrial changes observed with age are a consequence of events taking place outside the mitochondrial compartment.
authors.affiliation: Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, CABD-CSIC, CIBERER, Instituto Carlos III, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera km. 1, 41013, Seville, Spain, glopllu@upo.es.
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: López-Lluch
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Santos-Ocaña
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Alcázar
authors.forename: Daniel José Moreno
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Fernández-Ayala
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Asencio-Salcedo
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Aguilera
authors.forename: Plácido
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Navas
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001343:Autophagy / Q000187:drug effects; D031204:Caloric Restriction; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D063154:Mitochondrial Dynamics; D023421:Models, Animal; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species