Pharmacology of Mitochondria

Diana Guzman-Villanueva, Volkmar Weissig

Mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell, have been known for many years for their central role in the energy metabolism; however, extensive progress has been made and to date substantial evidence demonstrates that mitochondria play a critical role not only in the cell bioenergetics but also in the entire cell metabolome. Mitochondria are also involved in the intracellular redox poise, the regulation of calcium homeostasis, and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are crucial for the control of a variety of signaling pathways. Additionally, they are essential for the mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis process. Thus, it is not surprising that disruptions of mitochondrial functions can lead or be associated with human pathologies. Because of diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer, Parkinson's, cancer, and ischemic disease are being increasingly linked to mitochondrial dysfunctions, the interest in mitochondria as a prime pharmacological target has dramatically risen over the last decades and as a consequence a large number of agents, which could potentially impact or modulate mitochondrial functions, are currently under investigation. Based on their site of action, these agents can be classified as mitochondria-targeted and non-mitochondria-targeted agents. As a result of the continuous search for new agents and the design of potential therapeutic agents to treat mitochondrial diseases, terms like mitochondriotropics, mitochondriotoxics, mitocancerotropics, and mitocans have emerged to describe those agents with high affinity to mitochondria that exert a therapeutic or deleterious effect on these organelles. In this chapter, mitochondria-targeted agents and some strategies to deliver agents to and/or into mitochondria will be reviewed.