REVIEW: Bioenergetics of the Fibrosis

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Elmira I. Yakupova^1,2, Dmitry B. Zorov^1,3,a*, and Egor Y. Plotnikov^1,3,b*

¹Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia

²Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia

³Kulakov National Medical Research Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, 117997 Moscow, Russia

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received October 22, 2021; Revised November 16, 2021; Accepted November 16, 2021

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It is known that the development of fibrosis is associated with many diseases, being both a cause and effect of the damage to organs and tissues. Replacement of functional tissue with a scar can lead to organ dysfunction, which is often a life-threatening condition. The development of effective approaches for the prevention or treatment of fibrosis requires an in-depth understanding of all aspects of its pathogenesis, from epithelial-mesenchymal transformation to fibroblast proliferation. Fibrosis can be induced by trauma, ischemic injury, inflammation, and many other pathological states accompanied by repeated cycles of tissue damage and repair. Energy metabolism is the basis of functioning of all cells in an organism and its disruptions are associated with the development of different diseases, hence, it could be a target for the therapy of such pathological processes as ischemia/reperfusion, epilepsy, diabetes, cancer, and neurological disorders. The emergence of fibrosis is also associated with the changes in cell bioenergetics. In this work, we analyzed the changes in the energy metabolism that occur with the progression of fibrosis and evaluated the possibility of affecting energetics as target in the anti-fibrotic approach.

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KEY WORDS: fibrosis, fibroblasts, energy metabolism, glycolysis, respiration, collagen

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297921120099

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