Autophagy is a normal physiological process characterized by the degradation of complex cellular contents into a simpler one and reutilized them in biosynthetic pathways. Lysosomes are the cell organelle that participates in the process of autophagy. The brain is the most vulnerable organ in most lysosome disorders because neurons are inefficient in removing impaired organelles and waste materials. In the brain, autophagy suppresses the accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins that results in further damage to the neurons responsible for neurodegeneration. Autophagy mediates protective effects in age-related diseases. In the chapter, the authors describe the process of autophagy, the mechanism involved, and the implication of the autophagic pathways in the various neurodegenerative disorders.
Mitophagy is a selective autophagy process in which damaged or surplus mitochondria are removed to sustain normal homeostasis. The efficient removal of damaged or stressed mitochondria is crucial for cellular health. Recent literature emphasizes the role of PINK1-Parkin pathways in the pathogenesis process of various neurodegenerative disorders. Further, mitophagy has shown potential therapeutic activity in treating neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, mitophagy might be important in the field of pharmacotherapeutics. In the present chapter, the authors explain mitophagy, mitophagy signaling pathways, as well as mechanisms and roles of mitophagy in various neurodegenerative disorders.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.