Therapeutic tools for mitophagy

Mitochondria are necessary organelles that control cellular homeostasis and induce apoptosis. The removal of mitochondria via autophagy, also known as mitophagy, is thus essential for maintaining proper cellular functions. Indeed, it has recently been proposed that mitophagy plays a critical role in the terminal differentiation of various pathologies such as neurodegenerative disorders (NDD), cardiovascular injuries, hepatic diseases, muscular dystrophy, aging, and metabolic diseases. The removal of damaged mitochondria by autophagy requires two primary stages, encompassing the activation of general autophagy and priming of damaged mitochondria for preferential autophagic recognition. State-of-the-art advancements in mitophagy research report comprehensively that priming facilitated by mitochondria stems from the Pink1-Parkin independent or dependent signaling pathway, as well as several biomarker marker proteins that impart their expression in mitophagy activation or inhibition. In this chapter, we summarize our current understanding of mitophagy mechanisms while also discussing the pathophysiological roles of mitophagy in detail.