Mutations of mtDNA in some Vascular and Metabolic Diseases

Background: The present review article considers some chronic diseases of vascular and metabolic genesis, the causes of which may be mitochondrial dysfunction. Very often, in the long course of the disease, complications may occur, leading to myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke and, as a result, death. In particular, a large percentage of human deaths nowadays belongs to cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease (CHD), arterial hypertension, cardiomyopathies, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Objective: The aim of the present review was the analysis of literature sources, devoted to an investigation of a link of mitochondrial DNA mutations with chronic diseases of vascular and metabolic genesis. Results: The analysis of literature indicates the association of the mitochondrial genome mutations with coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and various types of cardiomyopathies. Conclusion: The detected mutations can be used to analyze the predisposition to chronic diseases of vascular and metabolic genesis. They can also be used to create molecular-cell models necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of drugs developed for the treatment of these pathologies. MtDNA mutations associated with the absence of diseases of vascular and metabolic genesis could be potential candidates for gene therapy of the said diseases.