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Updated: May 6, 2026

Assessing Mitochondrial Function in Sciatic Nerve by High-Resolution Respirometry
Published on: May 5, 2022
Mitochondrial metals as a potential therapeutic target in neurodegeneration
A Grubman1, A R White, J R Liddell
1Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., Australia.
Abstract:
Transition metals are critical for enzyme function and protein folding, but in excess can mediate neurotoxic oxidative processes. As mitochondria are particularly vulnerable to oxidative damage due to radicals generated during ATP production, mitochondrial biometal homeostasis must therefore be tightly controlled to safely harness the redox potential of metal enzyme cofactors. Dysregulation of metal functions is evident in numerous neurological disorders including Alzheimer's disease, stroke, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Friedrich's ataxia. This review describes the mitochondrial metal defects in these disorders and highlights novel metal-based therapeutic approaches that target mitochondrial metal homeostasis in neurological disorders.
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