Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Cardiovascular Aging

Mitochondria are the prime source of ATP in cardiomyocytes. Impairment of mitochondrial metabolism results in damage to existing proteins and DNA. Such deleterious effects are part and parcel of the aging process, reducing the ability of cardiomyocytes to counter stress, such as myocardial infarction and consequent reperfusion. In such conditions, mitochondria in the heart of aged individuals exhibit decreased oxidative phosphorylation, decreased ATP production, and increased net reactive oxygen species production; all of these effects are independent of the decrease in number of mitochondria that occurs in these situations. Rather than being associated with the mitochondrial population in toto, these defects are almost exclusively confined to those organelles positioned between myofibrils (interfibrillar mitochondria). It is in complex III and IV where these dysfunctional aspects are manifested. In an apparent effort to correct mitochondrial metabolic defects, affected organelles are to some extent eliminated by mitophagy; at the same time, new, unaffected organelles are generated by fission of mitochondria. Because these cardiac health issues are localized to specific mitochondria, these organelles offer potential targets for therapeutic approaches that could favorably affect the aging process in heart.