Man is the most complex machine, the successful functioning of which depends on how successfully an unimaginable set of individual biochemical and electrochemical reactions proceeds in it.. Everything is based on them, from digestion or heartbeat to the development of the fetus or, for example, higher nervous activity.. And if there is a conditional " Of course, such violations do not occur out of the blue.. They can be caused by infectious agents, physical influences or chemicals, which in science are grouped under the general name of toxins..

Another important fact that we want to draw the attention of readers to is that any such biological activity requires the provision of energy.. It is produced in our cells by mitochondria.. And they do it too with the help of biochemical and electrochemical reactions.. Consequently, toxins can not only interrupt the normal course of these reactions themselves, but also significantly disrupt the energy supply of cells and tissues, damaging and sometimes destroying mitochondria..

Why the health of mitochondria is critical to the health of the whole organism, we have already talked about.. And in this article, we propose to discuss the threat that toxins pose to our mitochondrial cell pool, and, most importantly, how to protect ourselves from them most effectively..

What are the toxins? In general, they can be divided into two large groups: endogenous and exogenous.. Endogenous toxins are all hazardous compounds that are produced in our body itself.. This includes the remains of natural and pathological cell decay, by-products of various biochemical reactions and other processes occurring within us.. Exogenous toxins are everything that enters our body from the external environment.. And not necessarily through the mouth, because we can inhale toxins, they can penetrate the skin, be absorbed on the mucous membranes, etc..

Endogenous toxins are overwhelmingly organic, which is not surprising, given the sources of their origin.. And since they are often an integral part of life, our body has more or less adapted to deal with them.. Evolution has given us a whole set of detox mechanisms.. The main ones are the filtration of blood in the kidneys and the neutralization of dangerous compounds in the main chemical laboratory of our body - the liver..

With exogenous toxins, everything is not so good, since at least three negative factors are attached to them “into the load”:.

Much less toxic substances are formed inside us than there are in the external environment.. Therefore, it is more difficult to create effective detoxification barriers against exotoxins.. Of course, we have some universal mechanisms for neutralizing external chemical threats, for example, in the same liver. However, she is still unable to provide protection, as they say, for all occasions..

Internal intoxications usually develop slowly, which allows the liver and kidneys to cope with the incoming volumes of dangerous compounds.. Exogenous poisons often penetrate our body quickly and in large quantities, and therefore the organs responsible for detoxification simply do not have time to neutralize them.. This is what doctors call acute poisoning..

Finally, external poisons often have such high toxicity that even penetrating the body slowly and in small doses, they still manage to cause significant harm to it..

How toxins damage mitochondria? Endogenous intoxications To begin with, it must be said that reactive oxygen species are the main internal toxic compound for mitochondria.. These are superoxidant molecules that form as a by-product of energy production.. Possessing high chemical aggressiveness, they gradually destroy both mitochondrial membranes and their protein complexes, on which, in fact, energy synthesis occurs..

Exogenous IntoxicationsModern science states that environmental pollutants are the most common factor that leads to various disorders of mitochondrial health.. And these disorders, in turn, play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of a huge number of diseases, ranging from dysbiotic lesions of the intestine to such terrible diseases as malignant tumors.. To describe the damaging effects of exogenous toxins, it is more convenient to divide them into two groups: organic and inorganic substances..

Organic exogenous toxins It has been known for more than 70 years that certain organic compounds entering the cell from outside can impair the health of its mitochondrial pool.. And during this time, the mechanisms of these damages have been studied in some detail.. Thus, organic exotoxins are capable of:.

disrupt mitochondrial DNA and cause its mutation;

inhibit energy production at mitochondrial membranes;

impair the metabolism of fats and calcium;

interrupt those biochemical reactions that are preparation for the synthesis of energy and proceed inside the mitochondria (Krebs cycle);

suppress the division and fusion of mitochondria - the main mechanisms for their renewal and restoration.

Drugs are often used as toxins.. This is especially true for drugs that have a very pronounced effect and require long-term use.. A classic example is doxorubicin, used in the treatment of cancer, or drugs used to fight the human immunodeficiency virus (in particular, nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors - NRTIs).

Long-term use of doxorubicin causes damage to the muscle cells of the heart.. And this defeat is due precisely to the fact that this drug is able to bind to cardiolipin. This substance is found only in the inner mitochondrial membrane of mitochondria and is necessary for energy synthesis reactions.. Doxorubicin blocks it and thus critically reduces energy production.. The mechanism of NRTI mitotoxicity is different - these substances cause multiple mutations of DNA located in mitochondria, which can even lead to death..

In addition, the following compounds have proven mitochondrial toxicity:.

oligomycin;

many derivatives of phenols;

pesticides;

herbicides;

products of thermal decomposition of organic oils;

dioxin;

acrolein;

acrylamide;

cigarette smoke, etc..

Inorganic exogenous toxins Studies of the mitochondrial toxicity of inorganic poisons and, in particular, the most common of them, heavy metals, began actively at the end of the 20th century.. At the moment, it has already been reliably proven that such representatives of this group of metals as lead, cadmium and mercury accumulate most intensively in mitochondria..

The damaging effect of heavy metals is based on their chemical affinity for sulfur.. This element is an essential component of a number of vitamins, in particular, sulfur is included in the formula of thiamine (vitamin B1) and biotin (vitamin B7). But, more importantly, it is a constituent of amino acids such as cysteine \u200b\u200band methionine.. This means that all those proteins in the structure of which such amino acids are present. Such proteins are abundant in mitochondria, being part of membranes, enzyme complexes and other components.. Finally, sulfur is necessary for protein molecules to take the correct shape (that is, to form their tertiary and quaternary structure). If the protein molecule does not take this form, then it will not be able to perform its functions..

Heavy metals bind to the sulfur atoms that make up proteins, which becomes the basis for the damaging effect of these toxins.. Due to chemical affinity, such a bond is so strong that protein molecules are simply unable to continue to perform their functions, and often simply break down.. The most dangerous in terms of mitochondrial health disorders are chronic lead poisoning.. According to WHO data, this is the most common type of heavy metal intoxication in the world, and there is no safe concentration of lead at all..

Mitochondria and Lead PoisoningIt is clear that living in large cities is an important risk factor for chronic lead poisoning.. Previously, automobile exhausts were the main source of lead, but since 2002, lead-containing fuel additives have been banned in Russia.. However, it must be remembered that tetraethyl lead can exist on soil or in water for decades.. This means that the risk of intoxication by them among residents of megacities is still preserved.. Today, another significant source of lead has appeared - household and automotive batteries and accumulators.. In our age of wearable electronics, the number of such products is growing like an avalanche, and therefore it is so important to follow all the rules for their disposal..

Chronic lead poisoning and the disruption of mitochondria caused by it is dangerous because it is not always possible to recognize it.. Such intoxication is manifested by extremely non-specific symptoms that can occur with other pathologies:.

unexpressed pain in the abdomen, muscles and joints;

deterioration in memory and concentration;

mood instability and emotional \;

headache;

chronic weakness and fatigue;

sleep disorders;

decreased sex drive, etc..

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