Abstract:

Dysfunction of mitochondria play an important role in common neurodegenerative diseases and hypoxic processes. These organelles contain their own genome: mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Variations in the mtDNA genes in different tissues and organs may be one of the reasons of polysystemic mitochondrial insufficiency (1). It is well known that the mitochondrial genome is extremely variable, even in the absence of pathological mutations, it carries important individual traits. Some mitochondrial DNA phylogenetically formed polymorphisms are fixed in different human populations; these polymorphisms are systematized into the so-called haplogroups (2).

     Different tissues and organs depend on mitochondrial activity in varying degrees. The nerve elements, heart and skeletal muscle tissue, kidneys, endocrine glands and liver are in the first place. Depending on the amount of damage to cell functionality, symptoms may include loss of movement control, muscle weakness, pain syndromes, gastrointestinal disorders and difficulty swallowing, growth retardation, heart disease, liver disease, diabetes, respiratory complications, convulsions, problems with vision and hearing, lactic acidosis, developmental delays, susceptibility to infections, etc. (3).