MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION AS A KEY LINK IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF HUMAN LIVER DISEASE (PART ONE)
Abstract
The first part of the review presents information on the significance and mechanisms of mitochondrial dysfunction in liver pathology. The number as well as structural and functional organization of mitochondria are controlled by genes in the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. Mutations in these genes, or more precisely, pathogenic genetic variants, can cause diseases, their common feature being mitochondrial dysfunction. It is important to realize the overall impact of various endogenous and exogenous environmental factors on mitochondrial function and thereby facilitate preventive measures. The review presents electronic images of hepatocyte mitochondria obtained from liver biopsies of patients with chronic hepatitis C and liver tissue from experimental animals. When writing this review, the authors were guided by John Muir's precautionary principle of the interconnectedness of the world: «When we try to isolate anything (by itself), we find that it is interconnected with everything else in the universe». This principle can also be applied to the most complex system – the living cell, which can also be considered a far-from-understood "universe" at the microscopic level.
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