Mitochondria-Targeted Antioxidants as Potential Therapies

Mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) contributes to many cell processes. Consequently, there is a need to develop specific tools to manipulate mitochondrial ROS production and oxidative damage. Here, I report on the development of novel antioxidants that selectively block some aspects of mitochondrial oxidative damage, enabling the roles of mitochondrial oxidative stress to be inferred.

One of these antioxidants, named MitoQ, is a ubiquinone derivative targeted to mitochondria by covalent attachment to a lipophilic triphenylphosphonium cation through an aliphatic carbon chain. Due to the large mitochondrial membrane potential, the cation was accumulated within mitochondria inside cells, where the ubiquinone moiety inserted into the lipid bilayer and was reduced by the respiratory chain. The ubiquinol derivative thus formed was an effective antioxidant that prevented lipid peroxidation and protected