Mitochondria are a distinguishing feature of eukaryotic cells. Best known for their critical function in energy production via oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), mitochondria are essential for nutrient and oxygen sensing and for the regulation of critical cellular processes, including cell death and inflammation. Such diverse functional roles for organelles that were once thought to be simple ...

Agrawal A, Mabalirajan U. Rejuvenating cellular respiration for optimizing respiratory function: targeting mitochondria. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 310: L103–L113, 2016. First published November 13, 2015; doi:10.1152/ajplung.00320.2015.—Altered bioenergetics with increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production and degradation of epithelial function are key aspects of pathogen...

BACKGROUND Acute lung injury (ALI) is a serious disease with high incidence in ICU, and impaired mitochondria function plays a significant role in ALI. In this study, we examined the possible roles of exogenous hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in lung mitochondria regulation in ALI rats. METHODS The rat ALI model was induced by an intra-tongue vein Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection. We used sodium hyd...

Reactive oxygen species play an important role in several acute lung injuries. The lung tissue contains polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) that are substrates of lipid peroxidation that may lead to loss of the functional integrity of the cell membranes. In this study, we compare the in vitro protective effect of pulmonary surfactant protein A (SP-A), purified from porcine surfactant, against a...

Mitochondria are the power plants of cell and play key roles in activating apoptotic pathway cancer cells, which readily susceptible to cytotoxic reactive oxygen species temperature elevations. Herein, we develop a “nanomissile” that targets mitochondria enhance tumor treatment effects by facilitating mitochondrial dysfunction releasing cytochrome C activate cells under 650-nm laser irradiation...

BACKGROUND Leucine zipper/EF hand-containing transmembrane-1 (LETM1) encodes for the human homologue of yeast Mdm38p, which is a mitochondria-shaping protein of unclear function. However, a previous study demonstrated that LETM1 served as an anchor protein for complex formation between mitochondria and ribosome, and regulated mitochondrial biogenesis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Therefore,...

Lamellar inclusion bodies in the type II alveolar epithelial cell are believed to be involved in pulmonary surfactant production. However, it is not clear whether their role is that of synthesis, storage, or secretion. We have examined the phospholipid composition and fatty acid content of rabbit lung wash, lamellar bodies, mitochondria, and microsomes. Phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylglyce...