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Mitochondrial functional impairment in response to environmental toxins in the cardiorenal metabolic syndrome

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Abstract

Environmental toxins can promote cardiovascular, metabolic, and renal abnormalities, which characterize the cardiorenal metabolic syndrome (CRS). Heavy metals, such as mercury and arsenic, represent two of the most toxic pollutants. Exposure to these toxins is increasing due to increased industrialization throughout much of the world. Studies conducted to understand the impact of environmental toxins have shown a major impact on mitochondrial structure and function. The maladaptive stress products caused by these toxins, including aggregated proteins, damaged organelles, and intracellular pathogens, can be removed through autophagy, which is also known as mitophagy in mitochondria. Although the underlying mechanisms involved in the regulation of mitophagy in response to pollution are not well understood, accumulating evidence supports a role for maladaptive mitochondrial responses to environmental pollution in the pathogenesis of the CRS. In this review, we discuss the ongoing research, which explores the mechanisms by which these toxins promote abnormalities in mitophagy and associated mitochondrial dysfunction and the CRS.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Brenda Hunter for her editorial assistance. This research was supported by NIH (R01 HL73101, R01 HL107910) and the Veterans Affairs Merit System (0018) for JRS, and NIH (R01 HL088105) for LAM.

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflict of interest associated with this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Diabetes Cardiovascular Center, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO, USA

    Guanghong Jia, Annayya R. Aroor & James R. Sowers

  2. Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Missouri School of Medicine, D109 Diabetes Center HSC, One Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO, 65212, USA

    Luis A. Martinez-Lemus & James R. Sowers

  3. Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO, USA

    Guanghong Jia, Annayya R. Aroor, Luis A. Martinez-Lemus & James R. Sowers

  4. Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO, USA

    Luis A. Martinez-Lemus & James R. Sowers

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  1. Guanghong Jia
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  2. Annayya R. Aroor
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  3. Luis A. Martinez-Lemus
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  4. James R. Sowers
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Correspondence to James R. Sowers.

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Jia, G., Aroor, A.R., Martinez-Lemus, L.A. et al. Mitochondrial functional impairment in response to environmental toxins in the cardiorenal metabolic syndrome. Arch Toxicol 89, 147–153 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-014-1431-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-014-1431-3

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