Figure 1.

Mitochondria in tubular cells and cardiomyocytes. (A) Under normal conditions, mitochondria regulate calcium (Ca²⁺) metabolism (Ca²⁺ ions pass the mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM) through the Voltage-dependent Anion Channel (VDAC) and the mitochondrial inner membrane (MIM) through the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU)), redox homeostasis, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that act as second messengers for redox signaling. However, (B) mitochondrial damage leads to Ca²⁺ dysregulation, ROS overproduction, mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA) damage, ATP decrease, and finally, inflammation, the latter being induced by the release of mitochondrial damage-associated molecular patterns (mtDAMPs). Figure created by using Biorender.com.