Intestinal pseudo-obstruction as a manifestation of impaired mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation

Intestinal pseudo-obstruction can be caused by mitochondrial disorders. Understanding the association between genetic alterations in mitochondrial function and development of intestinal pseudo-obstruction may provide insight into the pathogenesis of this disorder. Although the association between mitochondrial DNA defects and pseudo-obstruction is documented, little is known about the relationship between mitochondrial beta-oxidation disorders, which are caused by defects in nuclear genes, and development of intestinal pseudo-obstruction. Mitochondrial beta-oxidation defects have emerged recently as an important group of recessively inherited inborn errors of metabolism with multiple phenotypes. Here we report the case history of a 25-year-old patient with mitochondrial trifunctional protein (MTP) deficiency, the eldest known living patient with this disorder. MTP is an enzyme complex that consists of 4alpha and 4beta subunits and catalyzes the last three steps in the beta-oxidation cycle. The patient's MTP deficiency is secondary to a compound heterozygosity for two mutations in the MTP beta-subunit. Over the past 5 years, the patient had worsening symptoms consistent with intestinal pseudo-obstruction associated with progressive skeletal myopathy and polyneuropathy. We hypothesize that impairment of mitochondrial beta-oxidation causes intestinal pseudo-obstruction secondary to accumulation of intracellular long chain fatty acids, activation of extramitochondrial fatty acid oxidation pathways, and generation of excessive reactive oxygen species leading to visceral myopathy.