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Advances in Mitochondrial Medicine pp 235–247Cite as

Mitochondria and Diabetes. An Intriguing Pathogenetic Role

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Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 942))

Abstract

Mitochondria play a key role in energy metabolism and ATP production in many tissues, including skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, brain and liver. Inherent disorders of mitochondria such as mDNA deletions cause major disruption of metabolism and can result in severe disease phenotypes. However, the incidence of such mDNA based disorders is extremely rare and cannot account for the dramatic rise in human metabolic diseases, which are characterised by defects in energy metabolism. Mitochondrial dysfunction characterized by reduced ATP generation and reduced mitochondrial number in skeletal muscle or reduced ATP generation and mitochondrial stimulus-secretion coupling in the pancreatic beta cell has been implicated in the pathology of chronic metabolic disease associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus and also with aging. Additionally the generation of ROS from mitochondria and other cellular sources may interfere in insulin signaling in muscle, contributing to insulin resistance. Reduced mitochondrial oxidative capacity coupled with increased ROS generation underlies the accumulation of intramuscular fat, insulin resistance and muscle dysfunction in aging. We will review the molecular basis for optimal mitochondrial function or mechanisms of dysfunction and correlate with pathology of identified diseases and aging.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science and UCD Institute of Sport and Health, UCD Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland

    Philip Newsholme, Celine Gaudel & Maurico Krause

  2. School of Biochemical Sciences, Curtin University, Building 308 Room 122, U1987, Perth, Western Australia, 6845, Australia

    Philip Newsholme & Celine Gaudel

  3. Biomedical Research Group (BMRG), Department of Science, Institute of Technology Tallaght, Dublin 24, Ireland

    Maurico Krause

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  1. Philip Newsholme
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  2. Celine Gaudel
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  3. Maurico Krause
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Correspondence to Philip Newsholme .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry and Clinical B, Catholic University, Largo A. Gemelli 8, Rome, 00168, Italy

    Roberto Scatena

  2. School of Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry and Clinical B, Catholic University, Largo A. Gemelli 8, Rome, 00168, Italy

    Patrizia Bottoni

  3. School of Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry and Clinical B, Catholic University, Largo A. Gemelli 8, Rome, 00168, Italy

    Bruno Giardina

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Newsholme, P., Gaudel, C., Krause, M. (2012). Mitochondria and Diabetes. An Intriguing Pathogenetic Role. In: Scatena, R., Bottoni, P., Giardina, B. (eds) Advances in Mitochondrial Medicine. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 942. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2869-1_10

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