New paper describes how targeting mitochondrial redox stress can reverse diastolic dysfunction in aged mice

A new paper in eLife by Ann Chiao from her work in the Rabinovitch Lab describes how reducing mitochondrial redox stress pharmacologically with elamipretide (SS-31) or genetically with mCAT can reverse age-related diastolic dysfunction. This work is noteworthy because it builds on previous work from the Marcinek and Rabinovitch Labs demonstrating that late life treatment with interventions that specifically target mitochondrial redox stress and energetics can improve health and function in multiple systems. Combined with the recent paper in PNAS demonstrating that elamipretide directly interacts with specific mitochondrial proteins this new study emphasizes the potential for elamipretide as both an intervention to improve function in the elderly and also contribute to our mechanistic understanding of age-related changes in mitochondrial that underlie reduced function. Dr. Chiao is now a faculty member at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.