The Potential Application of Mitochondrial Medicine in Toxicologic Poisoning

Abstract

The advancement of biomolecular techniques has continued to advance in the area of mitochondrial medicine. This has allowed clinicians and researchers to more effectively study the bioenergetics of the mitochondria in various disease states. One potential technique in mitochondrial medicine is the generation of cytoplasmic hybrids. A cytoplasmic hybrid or cybrid are created by introducing mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of interest into cells depleted of mtDNA. A cybrid is therefore a hybrid cell that mixes the nuclear genome from one cell with the mitochondrial genes from another cell. Cybrids are currently utilized in mitochondrial research to demonstrate mitochondrial involvement in a wide range of diseases that include diabetes, Parkinson's disease and inherited diseases. At this time the use of cybrids to study toxicologic poisoning is limited and offers a potential avenue of research in this area.

Alterations in Mitochondrial Function in Blood Cells Obtained From Patients With Sepsis Presenting to an Emergency Department

“…There are relevant instruments that allow sensitive measurement of cellular respiration using patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs, a mixed population of lymphocytes and monocytes) or platelets, with results available within one to two hours which could be used to monitor response to therapy and to help develop treatment (12,13). Mitochondrial studies performed using human PBMCs offer a practical alternative to invasive tissue biopsies, and previous data demonstrate that a strong correlation exists between mitochondrial dysfunction in blood cells and in heart, liver, and kidney in humans and animal shock models (14,15).…”

A preliminary study in the alterations of mitochondrial respiration in patients with carbon monoxide poisoning measured in blood cells

“…10 Whole blood cells such as peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and platelets have been explored for their potential to act as sensitive biomarkers for mitochondrial dysfunction in lieu of invasive and time consuming tissue biopsies. 11,12 …”