Cited by 1,063Mitochondrial Function and PathologyRedox biology and oxidative stressCoenzyme Q10 studies and effects

Mitochondrial generation of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide as the source of mitochondrial redox signaling

Brand, Martin D.·2016·Free Radical Biology and Medicine

Abstract

This review examines the generation of reactive oxygen species by mammalian mitochondria, and the status of different sites of production in redox signaling and pathology. Eleven distinct mitochondrial sites associated with substrate oxidation and oxidative phosphorylation leak electrons to oxygen to produce superoxide or hydrogen peroxide: oxoacid dehydrogenase complexes that feed electrons to NAD+; respiratory complexes I and III, and dehydrogenases, including complex II, that use ubiquinone as acceptor. The topologies, capacities, and substrate dependences of each site have recently clarified. Complex III and mitochondrial glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase generate superoxide to the external side of the mitochondrial inner membrane as well as the matrix, the other sites generate superoxide and/or hydrogen peroxide exclusively in the matrix. These different site-specific topologies are important for redox signaling. The net rate of superoxide or hydrogen peroxide generation depends on the substrates present and the antioxidant systems active in the matrix and cytosol. The rate at each site can now be measured in complex substrate mixtures. In skeletal muscle mitochondria in media mimicking muscle cytosol at rest, four sites dominate, two in complex I and one each in complexes II and III. Specific suppressors of two sites have been identified, the outer ubiquinone-binding site in complex III (site III Qo) and the site in complex I active during reverse electron transport (site I Q). These suppressors prevent superoxide/hydrogen peroxide production from a specific site without affecting oxidative phosphorylation, making them excellent tools to investigate the status of the sites in redox signaling, and to suppress the sites to prevent pathologies. They allow the cellular roles of mitochondrial superoxide/hydrogen peroxide production to be investigated without catastrophic confounding bioenergetic effects. They show that sites III Qo and I Q are active in cells and have important roles in redox signaling (e.g. hypoxic signaling and ER-stress) and in causing oxidative damage in a variety of biological contexts.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2016.04.001

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  • Mitochondria are a susceptible target of oxidative damage, which causes a malicious circle of events in endothelial cells.

    “Additionally, mitochondria are a susceptible target of oxidative damage, which causes a malicious circle of events in ECs [224,225,226].”

    From AMPK, Mitochondrial Function, and Cardiovascular Disease (2020) · cites this paper as [226]

  • Accumulation of reactive oxygen species in muscle and neuron cells has the potential to damage cellular mitochondria.

    “Conversely, the accumulation of ROS in the muscle and neuron cells has the potential to damage cellular mitochondria (46).”
  • Accumulation of excessive ROS contributes to damaged and dysfunctional mitochondria in muscle and neural cells.

    “it is clear that accumulation of excessive ROS contributes to damaged and dysfunctional mitochondria in muscle and neural cells.”

    From Mitochondria initiate and regulate sarcopenia (2017) · cites this paper as [15]

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Authors
Brand, M. D.
Affiliations
Buck Institute for Research on Aging (US)
Corresponding author
Brand, Martin D.
Venue
Free Radical Biology and Medicine
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2016-11
Volume
100
Pages
14-31
ISSN
0891-5849 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2336416528
Cited by
1,063
References
199
Citations by year
2026: 106 · 2025: 109 · 2024: 104 · 2023: 93 · 2022: 125 · 2021: 156 · 2020: 126 · 2019: 98 · 2018: 75 · 2017: 54 · 2016: 15 · 2013: 1
FWCI
7.30
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Free Radical Biology and Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Mitochondrial Function and Pathology
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Redox biology and oxidative stress
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Coenzyme Q10 studies and effects
Keywords
mitochondrial superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, mitochondrial redox signaling, reactive oxygen species, electron leak, complex I, cytochrome bc1 complex, complex II, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, reverse electron transfer, hypoxia signaling, endoplasmic reticulum stress, oxidative damage, skeletal muscle mitochondria, antioxidant defense
MeSH terms
Animals, Hydrogen Peroxide, Mitochondria, Oxidation-Reduction, Superoxides, Signal Transduction, Rats

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