Mitochondrial transfer - a novel promising approach for the treatment of metabolic diseases

Ruijing Chen; Jun Chen

doi:10.3389/fendo.2023.1346441

Mitochondrial transfer - a novel promising approach for the treatment of metabolic diseases

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2024 Jan 19:14:1346441. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1346441. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Ruijing Chen¹, Jun Chen^{1

2

3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Endocrinology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
² Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shandong Province Medicine and Health, Jinan, Shandong, China.
⁴ Jinan Clinical Research Center for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Jinan, Shandong, China.

Abstract

Metabolic disorders remain a major global health concern in the 21st century, with increasing incidence and prevalence. Mitochondria play a critical role in cellular energy production, calcium homeostasis, signal transduction, and apoptosis. Under physiological conditions, mitochondrial transfer plays a crucial role in tissue homeostasis and development. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders. Numerous studies have demonstrated that mitochondria can be transferred from stem cells to pathologically injured cells, leading to mitochondrial functional restoration. Compared to cell therapy, mitochondrial transplantation has lower immunogenicity, making exogenous transplantation of healthy mitochondria a promising therapeutic approach for treating diseases, particularly metabolic disorders. This review summarizes the association between metabolic disorders and mitochondria, the mechanisms of mitochondrial transfer, and the therapeutic potential of mitochondrial transfer for metabolic disorders. We hope this review provides novel insights into targeted mitochondrial therapy for metabolic disorders.

Keywords: metabolic diseases; mitochondria; mitochondrial transfer; therapy; transplantation.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Humans
Metabolic Diseases* / metabolism
Metabolic Diseases* / therapy
Mitochondria* / metabolism

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by the Shandong Excellent Young Scientists Fund Program (Overseas, 2022HWYQ-027), and the Special Foundation for Taishan Scholars (tsqn202312331).