Role of mitochondrial Oxphos dysfunction in the development of neurological diseases

Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) is an enzyme metabolic pathway that oxidizes nutrients to release chemical energy stored in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). This process consists of five protein complexes I-V and takes place in the mitochondria. Several previous studies have stated that failure in this role has an effect on reducing the development of neurological diseases. The previous studies showed increasing the synaptic activity in the nervous system will increase mitochondrial division also and the failure of this process induced apoptosis and death of the nervous system. Failure of the OXPHOS process is associated with mutations in nuclear DNA or in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Factors causing mtDNA damage, namely the absence of his tone proteins that bind mtDNA which should be able to protect mtDNA against free radicals, in mtDNA there is no DNA repair mechanism and mtDNA is located in the inner mitochondrial membrane adjacent to the site of ROS production (highly toxic).