Mitochondrial Dynamics in Cardiovascular Medicine

Hyoung Kyu Kim, Jin Han

Gaetano Santulli

The heart continuously supplies blood to the entire body throughout the lifetime, requiring a huge amount of the bioenergy molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP). As the major subcellular organs that produce ATP through oxidative phosphorylation and the citrate-synthesis cycle, mitochondria inevitably produce chemically reactive species as byproducts. Those species are known to be major effectors of mitochondrial dysfunction, many of which are involved in various cardiovascular diseases, causing apoptotic/necrotic loss of cardiac myocytes and/or defects in the energy balance within the myocardium. In this context, researchers have aimed to develop effective antioxidant therapies to treat cardiovascular disorders. This chapter presents an overview of the clinical trials related to antioxidant therapy and discusses the current clinical status of mitochondria-targeted antioxidants and potential future candidate molecules.