Mitophagy: Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress and Cell Death

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, entitled “Mitophagy: Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress and Cell Death”, is a collection of papers that discusses the latest research on the critical role of mitophagy in maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis and its involvement in regulating mitochondrial oxidative stress and cell death. Mitophagy is a selective type of autophagy that removes damaged, dysfunctional, unwanted, or excess mitochondria and plays a critical role in regulating mitochondrial quality control and cell energetic homeostasis.

Mitochondrial oxidative stress occurs when there is an imbalance between the ROS production system and the cell's antioxidant defense mechanisms. Mitochondrial oxidative stress can lead to mitochondrial dysfunction, which can trigger several cell death pathways. Mitophagy can help reduce mitochondrial oxidative stress by removing damaged or dysfunctional mitochondria or reducing the mitochondrial mass and therefore the number of ROS producing enzymes in this organelle. In contrast, the excessive decrease in mitochondrial mass by uncontrolled mitophagy can also favor cell death by the depletion of ATP levels. Therefore, both the dysregulation of mitophagy or the excess of it play a key role in the development of various diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, renal damage, and cardiovascular disease.

This Special Issue highlights the complex relationship between mitophagy, mitochondrial oxidative stress, and cell death, and how the understanding of the mechanism implied in this relationship can contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies to treat these diseases. The papers in this collection should provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of mitophagy and its regulation, as well as the role of mitophagy in the pathogenesis of various diseases. These findings may open up new avenues for therapeutic interventions aimed at restoring mitochondrial and cell homeostasis and preventing or treating diseases associated with mitochondrial dysfunction.

Dr. Omar Emiliano Aparicio-Trejo
Dr. Tapas Chakraborty
Guest Editors

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• mitophagy
• mitochondria
• oxidative stress
• cell death
• autophagy
• reactive oxygen species
• mitochondrial dysfunction
• apoptosis
• mitochondrial quality control
• mitochondrial homeostasis