Mitochondrial Mechanisms in Immunity and Inflammatory Conditions: Beyond Energy Management.

The growing importance of mitochondria in the immune response and inflammation is multifaceted. Unraveling the different mechanisms by which mitochondria have a relevant role in the inflammatory response beyond the energy management of the process is necessary for improving our understanding of the host immune defense and the pathogenesis of various inflammatory diseases and syndromes. Mitochondria are relevant in the immune response at different levels, including releasing activation molecules, changing its structure and function to accompany the immune response, and serving as a structural base for activating intermediates as NLRP3 inflammasome.

Energy management and mitochondrial dynamics in cerebral cortex during endotoxemia.

Mitochondria play an essential role in inflammatory processes such as sepsis or endotoxemia, contributing to organ-cellular redox metabolism, emerging as the energy hub of the cell, and as an important center of action of second messengers. In this work, we aimed to elucidate the energy state, redox balance, and mitochondrial remodeling status in cerebral cortex in an experimental model of endotoxemia. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a single dose of LPS (ip 8 mg kg body weight) for 6 h.

Mitochondrial bioenergetics links inflammation and cardiac contractility in endotoxemia.

There is current awareness about the central role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the development of cardiac dysfunction in systemic inflammatory syndromes, especially in sepsis and endotoxemia. The aim of this work was to elucidate the mechanism that governs the link between the severity of the systemic inflammatory insult and mitochondrial function, analysing the consequences on heart function, particularly in cardiac contractile state. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to low-grade endotoxemia (i.