The Role of Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Vascular Disease, Tumorigenesis, and Diabetes.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is known to be associated with a wide range of human pathologies, such as cancer, metabolic, and cardiovascular diseases. One of the possible ways of mitochondrial involvement in the cellular damage is excessive production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS) that cannot be effectively neutralized by existing antioxidant systems. In mitochondria, ROS and RNS can contribute to protein and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage causing failure of enzymatic chains and mutations that can impair mitochondrial function. These processes further lead to abnormal cell signaling, premature cell senescence, initiation of inflammation, and apoptosis. Recent studies have identified numerous mtDNA mutations associated with different human pathologies. Some of them result in imbalanced oxidative phosphorylation, while others affect mitochondrial protein synthesis. In this review, we discuss the role of mtDNA mutations in cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and atherosclerosis. We provide a list of currently described mtDNA mutations associated with each pathology and discuss the possible future perspective of the research.

Neurodegenerative Diseases Associated with Mitochondrial DNA Mutations.

Mitochondrial dysfunction underlies several human chronic pathologies, including cardiovascular disorders, cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. Impaired mitochondrial function associated with oxidative stress can be a result of both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations. Neurological disorders associated with mtDNA mutations include mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia, neurogenic weakness, and Leigh syndrome. Moreover, mtDNA mutations were shown to play a role in the development of Parkinson and Alzheimer's diseases. In this review, current knowledge on the distribution and possible roles of mtDNA mutations in the onset and development of various neurodegenerative diseases, with special focus on Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases has been discussed.

Modern approaches for modelling dystonia and Huntington's disease in vitro and in vivo.

Dystonia associated with Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease or other neurodegenerative diseases substantially affects patients' quality of life and is a major health problem worldwide. The above-mentioned diseases are characterized by neurodegeneration accompanied by motor and cognitive impairment and often have complex aetiology. A frequent feature of these conditions is the abnormal accumulation of protein aggregates within specific neuronal populations in the affected brain regions. Familial neurodegenerative diseases are associated with a number of genetic mutations. Identification of these mutations allowed creation of modern model systems for studying neurodegeneration, either in cultured cells or in model animals. Animal models, especially mouse models, have contributed considerably to improving our understanding of the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases. These models have allowed study of the pathogenic mechanisms and development of new disease-modifying strategies and therapeutic approaches. However, due to the complex nature of these pathologies and the irreversible damage that they cause to the neural tissue, effective therapies against neurodegeneration remain to be elaborated. In this review, we provide an overview of cellular and animal models developed for studying neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington's disease and dystonia of different origins.

Development of novel PLGA nanoparticles with co-encapsulation of docetaxel and abiraterone acetate for a highly efficient delivery into tumor cells.

Co-encapsulation of abiraterone acetate (AbrA) and docetaxel (Dtx) in polymeric nanoparticles as novel prototypes for prostate cancer treatment combining hormonal and chemotherapy was designed. Nanoparticles (NPs) composed of poly(dl-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) were prepared by single-emulsion solvent evaporation technique and characterized in terms of morphology with atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. HPLC method for simultaneous determination of AbrA and Dtx encapsulation efficacy was developed. Also differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy were provided. To study the effectiveness of cellular internalization and distribution of NPs with AbrA and Dtx co-encapsulation (NP-AbrA/Dtx), a fluorescence microscopy was utilized. NPs prepared had size 256.3 ±9.4 nm and zeta potential -18.4 ±1.4 mV. Encapsulation efficacy for AbrA was 68.7% and for Dtx was 74.3%. NPs were able to control the AbrA and Dtx release within 24 h. The mathematical model of drug release was performed. The results obtained from confocal microscopy showed the effective accumulation of the NP-AbrA/Dtx in the cytoplasm of cells. Synthesized NPs possessed satisfactory parameters and a biphasic release profile, proceeding by the Fick diffusion mechanism, which provide prolonged release of the drugs and maintenance of their concentration. It was shown that NPs loaded with AbrA and Dtx exhibited a high cytotoxic activity on the LNCaP cell line, similar to the combination of free drugs of AbrA and Dtx, but in contrast to the combination of substances, had a synergistic mechanism of action. Our findings support the potential use of developed NPs in further in vivo studies. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 107B: 1150-1158, 2019.