The emerging role of autophagy in the pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus

GONZALEZ CD; LEE MYUNG-SHIK; MARCHETTI P; PIETROPAOLO M; TOWNS R; VACCARO MI; WATADA H; WILEY JW

AUTOPHAGY

LANDES BIOSCIENCE

Lugar: Austin, TX; Año: 2011 vol. 7 p. 2 - 11

1554-8627

The emerging role of autophagy in the pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus Volume 7, Issue 1   January 2011 Pages 2 - 11DOI: 10.4161/auto.7.1.13044 Claudio D. Gonzalez, Myung-Shik Lee, Piero Marchetti, Massimo Pietropaolo, Roberto Towns, Maria I. Vaccaro, Hirotaka Watada and John W. Wiley View affiliations An emerging body of evidence supports a role for autophagy in the pathophysiology of type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Persistent high concentrations of glucose lead to imbalances in the antioxidant capacity within the cell resulting in oxidative stress-mediated injury in both disorders. An anticipated consequence of impaired autophagy is the accumulation of dysfunctional organelles such as mitochondria within the cell. Mitochondria are the primary site of the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and an imbalance in ROS production relative to the cytoprotective action of autophagy may lead to the accumulation of ROS. Impaired mitochondrial function associated with increased ROS levels have been proposed as mechanisms contributing to insulin resistance. In this article we review and interpret the literature that implicates a role for autophagy in the pathophysiology of type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus as it applies to β-cell dysfunction, and more broadly to organ systems involved in complications of diabetes including the cardiovascular, renal and nervous systems.