Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Aug 01, 2025 20 hours, 44 minutes ago
Medical News: A new scientific review by researchers from Lanzhou University in China has uncovered critical links between mitochondrial failure and a weakening of our immune system known as T-cell exhaustion. This condition, common in chronic infections and cancers, occurs when T cells—key fighters in our immune system—lose their power to attack harmful invaders due to being constantly overworked.
How Mitochondria Failure Triggers T Cell Exhaustion and Disease
T cells rely heavily on mitochondria, the tiny power plants inside cells, to function properly. However, when mitochondria become damaged or dysfunctional, T cells start to lose their ability to fight. This
Medical News report reveals that ongoing stress, low oxygen levels, and high levels of toxic molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS) further damage mitochondria, pushing T cells into an exhausted state. These exhausted cells become sluggish, produce fewer protective substances, and fail to multiply or remember previous infections.
Why This Matters
The review explains that in diseases like HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and cancer, T cells get overstimulated by the constant presence of viruses or tumor cells. In response, their mitochondria stop working correctly. The cells then shift into a damaging cycle of poor energy production, inflammation, and genetic changes. Importantly, the study found that certain proteins like PGC-1α, which regulate mitochondrial function and energy, are suppressed in exhausted T cells. Restoring these proteins may help re-energize immune cells.
Researchers also noted that exhausted T cells often have bigger but weaker mitochondria that can't make enough energy. These cells also have trouble recycling their damaged mitochondria, leading to more stress and cellular decay.
Hope Through Targeted Therapies
The good news is that the study outlines several ways to potentially reverse this immune exhaustion. Therapies that boost mitochondrial biogenesis (the creation of new mitochondria), reduce toxic ROS, or even transplant healthy mitochondria into damaged T cells could restore immune strength. Certain drugs like metformin and bezafibrate, known to improve mitochondrial function, may become powerful tools in future immunotherapies. Even natural substances like Coenzyme Q10, vitamin derivatives, and hydrogen gas are being explored.
Conclusion
This important study highlights how mitochondrial breakdown is a hidden driver of immune failure in long-term diseases. By targeting the root cause—damaged mitochondria—doctors may one day reverse T-cell exhaustion and improve treatment for cancer and chronic infections. The findings also show that maintaining mitochondrial health could be a key strategy for a stronger, longer-lasting immune response.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed International Journal of Molecular Sciences
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/26/15/7400
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/omicron-variants-with-g252v-mutation-show-greater-impact-on-t-cells-and-b-cells
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