[Disturbances of mitochondrial energetic processes and mt-DNA and their role in the etiology of coronary artery disease].

Apart from the theory of local inflammation in etiopathogenesis of the arteriosclerosis, hypotheses concerning the role of mitochondria in this process arise growing interest. Some proteins of the respiratory chain (OXPHOS) are coded on mitochondrial DNA. Their damage leads to interruption of oxidative phosphorylation, what in turns raises the free oxygen radicals (ROS) generation. The relationship of insufficient mechanism of mitochondrial ROS elimination with the initiation of the atherosclerosis was confirmed in experimental data. The mutagenesis of mitochondrial DNA is tied with the etiology of coronary artery disease (CAD). Some disturbances of the structure of mt-DNA are primal. The second group is probably determined by the effect of CAD influence on the structure of mt-DNA in cardiomyocytes. The mitochondrial energetic transformations are described in the article, with special regard on their potential influence on the process of mt-DNA mutagenesis and secondarily on the formation of CAD.