Tag Archive for 'Mitochondria'

Delgadillo-Puga et al. show cardamom could be a healthy dietary choice, and that its consumption can help maintain lean body weight and reduce fat. Image credit: PDPics.

Cardamom Seed Consumption Increases Appetite and Reduces Fat, New Research Suggests

Aug 14, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Cardamom seed (Elettaria cardamomum) is consumed in several countries worldwide and is considered a nutraceutical spice since it exerts antioxidant, anti-inflammatory,...

The fructose survival hypothesis proposes that obesity and metabolic disorders may have developed from over-stimulation of an evolutionary-based biologic response (survival switch) that aims to protect animals in advance of crisis. Image credit: Günther.

Excessive Fructose Metabolism Explains Obesity and Epidemics of Obesity-Associated Diseases: Study

Aug 7, 2023 by News Staff

Obesity and its associated metabolic diseases have had devastating health consequences on modern society. New research from the University of Colorado...

Dhoundiyal et al. discovered that neurons have an emergency back-up system to enable them to remain functional even when their energy supply is disrupted. Image credit: Colin Behrens.

Neurons Have Emergency Back-Up System, Neuroscientists Say

Aug 29, 2022 by News Staff

The newly-discovered neuronal back-up system safeguards metabolic flexibility of neurons to cope with energy demands of electrical signaling, according...

Song et al. show that damaging effects of blue light at the organismal level are strongly age dependent and are associated with reduced activity of specific components of energy-producing pathways in mitochondria. Image credit: Pexels.

Damaging Effects of Blue Light Exposure Worsen with Age, New Research Suggests

Jul 28, 2022 by News Staff

Blue light is a predominant component of light emitting devices, which are increasingly present in our environment. There is already accumulating evidence...

Asgard archaeon. Scale bar - 500 nm. Image credit: Imachi et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1916-6.

Eukaryotic Cells Emerged in Anoxic Environment, New Study Suggests

Apr 27, 2022 by News Staff

Since the 1960s, many scientists have argued that the emergence of eukaryotes — cells containing a clearly defined nucleus — happened in response...

A concentration of 2.5 μM EGCG and ECG enhanced health- and lifespan as well as stress resistance in Caenorhabditis elegans. Catechins hampered mitochondrial respiration in Caenorhabditis elegans after 6-12 hrs and the activity of complex I in isolated rodent mitochondria. The impaired mitochondrial respiration was accompanied by a transient drop in ATP production and a temporary increase in ROS levels in Caenorhabditis elegans. After 24 hrs, mitochondrial respiration and ATP levels got restored, and ROS levels even dropped below control conditions. The lifespan increases induced by EGCG and ECG were dependent on AAK-2/AMPK and SIR-2.1/SIRT1, as well as on PMK-1/p38 MAPK, SKN-1/NRF2, and DAF-16/FOXO. Long-term effects included significantly diminished fat content and enhanced SOD and CAT activities, required for the positive impact of catechins on lifespan. Image credit: Tian et al., doi: 10.18632/aging.203597.

Study: Green Tea Catechins Extend Health- and Lifespan, Reduce Fat Content in Model Organism

Oct 27, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

Green tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages worldwide. Green tea catechins are associated with a delay in aging. In experiments performed in...

Spaceflight is known to impose changes on human physiology with unknown molecular etiologies. To reveal these causes, da Silveira et al. used a multi-omics, systems biology analytical approach using biomedical profiles from 59 astronauts and data from NASA’s GeneLab derived from hundreds of samples flown in space to determine transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, and epigenetic responses to spaceflight. Image credit: da Silveira et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.11.002.

Spaceflight Impairs Mitochondrial Function, New Research Shows

Nov 26, 2020 by News Staff

Critical parts of a cell’s energy production machinery, the mitochondria, can be made dysfunctional due to changes in gravity, radiation exposure and...

Retina ages faster than other organs, with a 70% ATP reduction over life and a significant decline in photoreceptor function. Image credit: Mario Rottonara.

Study: Staring at Deep Red Light Can Improve Naturally Declining Vision

Jul 7, 2020 by News Staff

Looking at 670-nm red light for three minutes a day can significantly improve cone color contrast sensitivity (the ability to detect colors) and rod sensitivity...

P-HeLa cells grown on a Si substrate. Image credit: Pareek et al, doi: 10.1126/science.aaz6465.

Scientists Catch Elusive Metabolons in Action

Apr 23, 2020 by News Staff

A team of researchers at Pennsylvania State University has directly observed functional metabolons — long-hypothesized clusters of enzymes —...

Fluorescence microscopy image of cell-free mitochondria in the plasma of a healthy individual. Image credit: Dache et al, doi: 10.1096/fj.201901917RR.

Scientists Find Cell-Free Mitochondria in Human Blood

Jan 24, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

Mitochondria are considered as the power-generating units of the cell due to their key role in energy metabolism and intercellular communication. However,...

Dietary fructose, but not glucose, supplementation of high-fat diet (HFD) impairs mitochondrial size, function, and protein acetylation, resulting in decreased fatty acid oxidation and development of metabolic dysregulation. Image credit: Softic et al, doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2019.09.003.

High-Fat Plus Fructose Diet Alters Size and Function of Liver Mitochondria, New Study Says

Oct 2, 2019 by News Staff

A research team led by Harvard Medical School scientists has found that high levels of fructose — but not glucose — in the high-fat diet inhibit...

Mitochondrial DNA is the small circular chromosome found inside mitochondria, which are organelles found in cells and sites of energy production. Image credit: Darryl Leja, NHGRI.

Study Shows Mitochondrial DNA Can Be Passed Through Fathers

Nov 29, 2018 by The Conversation

Some things you learn in school turn out not to be true, for example that there are just five senses or three states of matter. Now cutting-edge research...

Cellular senescence in human cells. Image credit: Eva Latorre.

Novel Compounds Reverse Endothelial Cell Aging

Aug 10, 2018 by News Staff

Aging is characterized by a progressive decline of physiological function accompanied by increased incidence of age-related disease. The accumulation of...

The mitochondrial genome is regulated by factors encoded in the nucleus. Kim et al now show that a mitochondrial-encoded protein called MOTS-c can dynamically translocate to the nucleus in response to metabolic stress and regulate adaptive nuclear gene expression; the findings suggest that mitonuclear communication is genetically integrated. Image credit: Kim et al, doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2018.06.008.

Mitochondrial and Nuclear Genomes Cross-Regulate Each Other, Study Finds

Jul 6, 2018 by News Staff

Transfer of vital genetic information within a cell isn’t the one-way telegraph, according to a new study published in the journal Cell Metabolism. The...

Physiological concentrations of caffeine equivalent to four cups of coffee have multiple protective effects. Image credit: Nathan Dumlao.

Study Shows How Caffeine Protects and Repairs Heart Muscle

Jun 26, 2018 by News Staff

Caffeine consumption has been associated with lower risks for multiple diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, but the mechanism...

This new study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting pharmaceutical-grade nutritional supplements (nutraceuticals) could play an important role in preventing heart disease. Image credit: Kelvin Song / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Study: Mitochondrial Antioxidant Makes Aged Blood Vessels Young Again

Apr 23, 2018 by News Staff

According to a new study, published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, older adults who take a mitochondrial-targeted antioxidant...