The human body as an energetic hybrid? New perspectives for chronic disease treatment?

Inflammatory response is accompanied by changes in cellular energy metabolism. Proinflammatory mediators like plasma C-reactive protein, IL-6, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, TNF-α or monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 released in the site of inflammation activates immune cells and increase energy consumption. Increased demand for energy creates local hypoxia and lead in consequence to mitochondrial dysfunction. Metabolism of cells is switched to anaerobic glycolysis. Mitochondria continuously generate free radicals that what result in imbalance that causes oxidative stress, which results in oxidative damage. Chronic energy imbalance promotes oxidative stress, aging, and neurodegeneration and is associated with numerous disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or Huntington’s disease. It is also believed that oxidative stress and the formation of free radicals play an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid diseases including especially rheumatoid arthritis. Pharmacological control of energy metabolism disturbances may be valuable therapeutic strategy of treatment of this disorders. In recent review we sum up knowledge related to energy disturbances and discuss phenomena such as zombies or hibernation which may indicate the potential targets for regulation of energy metabolism.