title: The role of mitochondria in cardiac development and protection.
abstract: Mitochondria are essential for the development as well as maintenance of the myocardium, the most energy consuming tissue in the human body. Mitochondria are not only a source of ATP energy but also generators of reactive oxygen species (ROS), that cause oxidative damage, but also regulate physiological processes such as the switch from hyperplastic to hypertrophic growth after birth. As excess ROS production and oxidative damage are associated with cardiac pathology, it is not surprising that much of the research focused on the deleterious aspects of free radicals. However, cardiomyocytes are naturally highly adapted against repeating oxidative insults, with evidence suggesting that moderate and acute ROS exposure has beneficial consequences for mitochondrial maintenance and cardiac health. Antioxidant defenses, mitochondrial quality control, mtDNA maintenance mechanisms as well as mitochondrial fusion and fission improve mitochondrial function and cardiomyocyte survival under stress conditions. As these adaptive processes can be induced, promoting mitohormesis or mitochondrial biogenesis using controlled ROS exposure could provide a promising strategy to increase cardiomyocyte survival and prevent pathological remodeling of the myocardium.
authors.affiliation: University of Eastern Finland, Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, P.O. Box 111, 80101 Joensuu, Finland. Electronic address: Jaakko.Pohjoismaki@uef.fi.
authors.forename: Jaakko L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Pohjoismäki
authors.affiliation: University of Eastern Finland, Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, P.O. Box 111, 80101 Joensuu, Finland.
authors.forename: Steffi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goffart
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D006321:Heart / Q000254:growth & development*; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000235:genetics*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate
keywords: Cardiomyocyte differentiation; Metabolism; Mitochondria; Postnatal development; mtDNA