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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2009 Jan 1.
Published in final edited form as: Exp Gerontol. 2007 Oct 4;43(1):24–33. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2007.10.001

Figure 1. The mitochondrial ‘Vicious Cycle’ theory.

Figure 1

The theory proposes that chronic ROS generation and increases in oxidative stress can be damaging to mtDNA. Much of this damage can be mutagenic giving rise to mtDNA mutations that may accumulate progressively during life. MtDNA mutations in turn, can be directly responsible for a measurable deficiency in cellular oxidative phosphorylation activity, leading to an enhanced mitochondrial ROS production, according to the theory. Increased ROS generation results in further increases in oxidative stress and an increased rate of mtDNA damage and mutagenesis, thus causing a ‘vicious cycle’ of exponentially increasing oxidative damage and dysfunction, which ultimately culminates in cell death.