BACKGROUND Kidney is known as the most sensitive target organ for depleted uranium (DU) toxicity in comparison to other organs. Although the oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage induced by DU has been well investigated, the precise mechanism of DU-induced nephrotoxicity has not been thoroughly recognized yet. METHODS Kidney mitochondria were obtained using differential centrifugation fro...

Whereas alpidem is hepatotoxic, zolpidem is not. Despite closely related chemical structures, alpidem, but not zolpidem, is a peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) ligand, and is also more lipophilic than zolpidem. We compared their effects in isolated rat liver mitochondria and rat hepatocytes. Zolpidem did not affect calcium-induced mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) in mitochondr...

Abnormal phosphorylation and toxicity of a microtubule-associated protein tau are involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, what pathological conditions trigger tau abnormality in AD is not fully understood. A reduction in the number of mitochondria in the axon has been implicated in AD. In this study, we investigated whether and how loss of axonal mitochondria promotes...

Mitochondria are indispensable for energy metabolism, apoptosis regulation, and cell signaling. Mitochondria in malignant cells differ structurally and functionally from those in normal cells and participate actively in metabolic reprogramming. Mitochondria in cancer cells are characterized by reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction, which promotes cancer development by inducing genomic in...

Mitochondria have emerged as a prospective target to overcome drug resistance that limits triple-negative breast cancer therapy. A novel mitochondria-targeted compound, HO-5114, demonstrated higher cytotoxicity against human lines than its component-derivative, Mito-CP. In this study, we examined HO-5114′s anti-neoplastic properties and effects on mitochondrial functions in MCF7 MDA-MB-231 cell...

Environmental pollutants, such as dioxins and furans, are extremely toxic and related with pulmonary diseases development. Impairment of mitochondrial function has been shown in pollutant-induced hepatic injury, but it has not been addressed in lungs, even though lung mitochondria are primary cellular targets for pollutants-induced toxicity. In isolated lung mitochondria, dibenzofuran significa...

Mitochondria have recently emerged as novel targets for cancer therapy due to its important roles in fundamental cellular function. Discovery of new chemotherapeutic agents that allow for simultaneous treatment and visualization of cancer is urgent. Herein, we demonstrate a novel bifunctional mitochondria-targeted anticancer agent (FPB), exhibiting both imaging capability and anticancer activit...

With the increasing application of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) in biological materials, the neurotoxicity caused by these particles has raised serious concerns. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of the toxic effect of ZnO NPs on brain cells remain unclear. Mitochondrial damage has been reported to be a factor in the toxicity of ZnO NPs. PINK1/parkin-mediated mitophagy is a new...

Patients with hereditary or secondary hemochromatosis are liable to cardiac and hepatic failure, and type II diabetes. Despite the highly likely conjecture that iron-mediated tissue damage involves the conspiracy of cellular oxidizing and reducing equivalents, the pathophysiologic events have not been fully elucidated. These latter likely involve toxic effects of iron on intracellular organelle...

A BODIPY-based dye, OBEP, has been developed to act as a mitochondrial fluorescence probe. This dye is of high stability, low toxicity and insensitive in a pH range as wide as pH 2-10. Its uptake into mitochondria is independent of mitochondrial membrane potential in living cells. OBEP can label swollen mitochondria resulting from different degrees of cell damage in light and resist fading even...