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Mitochondria

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Mitochondria

The mitochondria are the organelles that provide energy for the cell by oxidating fuels

and respiring aldehydes (Suárez-Rivero et al., 2021). As such, they have essential functions in

organisms, and it is unclear what effects antibiotics would have on them. Like most people, you

probably think antibiotics are a good thing. Your doctor prescribes them when your throat hurts,

or you have pneumonia. You take them to treat an infection that's making you nauseous and

feverish, like the flu or ear infection. They even help with acne! Not everyone is happy about

taking antibiotics, but it is not too bad if they make us feel better. This chapter discusses why

mitochondria would not be a good target for antibiotics.

The mitochondria are a critical component of cells, responsible for generating energy.

They are located outside of the cell's nucleus and, as such, are not directly affected by most

antibiotics (Suárez-Rivero et al., 2021). This means that antibiotics would not be able to kill the

bacteria causing the infection directly. In addition, the use of antibiotics can often lead to the

development of resistance, meaning that over time, bacteria can become resistant to the effects of

antibiotics, making them more challenging to treat. If the mitochondria are a target for

antibiotics, this could lead to the development of resistant strains of bacteria, which would be

difficult to treat. Overall, the mitochondria would not be a good target for antibiotics. Antibiotics

would not be able to kill the bacteria causing the infection directly, and the use of antibiotics

could lead to the development of resistance.

In conclusion, mitochondria produce energy and take in nutrients that signal other cell

components how to function. The mitochondria can also help regulate some genes, which can
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contribute to the growth of cancerous cells. For this reason, it is possible that selective antibiotic

treatments could be used in mitochondrial disorders and cancer treatment. However, the

mitochondria are typically considered internal organelle inside a cell and only contain about 1%

of the DNA in the cell. This means that antibiotics would have to target a specific area to affect

the bacteria without affecting other cells. Another predicament for using antibiotics on

mitochondria is that there are many different types of antibiotics and it is not yet known which

will be effective on mitochondria. For instance, some antibiotics can attach to cholesterol

molecules while others can connect with sugars on the surface of bacteria; therefore, It is not yet

known if these existing antibiotics can be used directly on mitochondria.

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References

Suárez-Rivero, J. M., Pastor-Maldonado, C. J., Povea-Cabello, S., Álvarez-Córdoba, M.,

Villalón-García, I., Talaverón-Rey, M., ... & Sánchez-Alcázar, J. A. (2021).

Mitochondria and antibiotics: for good or for evil?. Biomolecules, 11(7), 1050.