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14BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
THE ROLE OF MITOCHONDRIA AND FREE RADICAL OXIDATION IN THE VIABILITY OF
ANIMALS AND HUMANS
Bekenev V.
Siberian Federal Scientific Centre of Agro-BioTechnologies in the Russian Academy of Sciences doctor of Agricultural Sciences, prof.
ChiefResearcher
Abstract
The data of studies on animals in order to identify the effect of UV radiation and various feed additives with antioxidants on productivity, viability, antioxidant activity and blood lipid peroxidation. A hypothesis about the possible role of free radicals in the destruction of infectious factors is proposed. The need to maintain a balance between the activity of mitochondria, the production of free radicals and the use of antioxidants to improve human health, increase the life expectancy and productivity of animals is put forward.
Keywords: free radicals, antioxidants, health, life expectancy, Covid-19, viral cells.
"In nature, everything is in motion, everything acts and reacts".
Voltaire, Philosophical writings. M., 1988, p. 502.
It is known that the viability of humans and animals, the productivity of farm animals is largely determined by the function of mitochondria, which produce biochemical energy, called ATP, by breaking down food with oxygen. At the same time, as a result of various reactions, about 5% of oxygen is converted into active oxygen molecules (ROS) - free radicals that cause lipid peroxidation, damage DNA and change biochemical compounds and destroy cells, trying to take away the missing electron from them [1,2] . At the same time, free radicals regulate almost all life processes and the body needs them to produce energy and various substances that it needs [3]. The aim of this work is to assess the role of mitochondria and free radicals in the viability of humans and animals.
In recent years, in the livestock industry in many countries, there has been a decrease in life expectancy and economic use, especially of highly productive animals with industrial technologies of keeping. These animals, especially broodstock, are in favorable conditions for feeding and keeping in accordance with all the rules of animal husbandry, except for movement and interaction with factors of the natural environment. They have a very high metabolic activity, as a result of which they show the highest possible productivity. Many researchers explain this state of reduced viability and fertility of animals by metabolic or productive stress [4, 5]. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome is associated with a high degree of a sedentary lifestyle in humans, with year-round maintenance without walking - in animals. In this case, there is an increased production of free radicals, accompanied by a number of disorders in the functioning of biological membranes, the functioning of cells and the redox balance. The imbalance between the high production of free radicals, determined by the high production of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the level of antioxidant defense of the body, causes a reduction in life expectancy due to various diseases [6].
At the same time, oxidative damage and dysfunction of the antioxidant system are observed, an increase in the tissues of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the end
product of lipid peroxidation - malondialdehyde (MDA), which causes diseases of the central nervous system, with the subsequent manifestation of other diseases [7]. An increase in the antioxidant activity of cell membrane lipids occurs under the influence of UV irradiation and vitamin D, which is one of the powerful modulators of mitochondrial function and oxidative stress. So, in experiments on pigs under UV irradiation, the antioxidant activity of lipids of cell membranes in pregnant sows increased by 36-51%, in suckling sows - by 14-29%, depending on its dose. At the same time, the fertility of sows increased by 0.7 - 1.0 piglets, the yield of piglets for weaning - by 0.5-1.8 heads, the live weight of a piglet at weaning by 0.2-0.3 kg, the adaptive properties of pigs improved. It should be noted that culling among irradiated sows was 7-27% lower, and their fertilization after weaning was 10-15% higher than in the control (without irradiation) [8].
Antioxidant activity (AOA) increased under the influence of various anti-stress substances (vitamins C and E, eleutherococcus extract, UV irradiation, etc.), especially when the eleutherococcus extract was added to mixed feed in combination with aminazine (chlor-promazine) and UV irradiation (P <0.01). These factors enhanced lipid peroxidation (LPO) (P <0.01), however, despite this, the predominance of the accumulation of antioxidant reserves over free radical reactions was observed, as evidenced by an increase in the AOA / LPO index [9]. There is an interesting report that in 2019, and especially in 2020, there was a sharp decrease in UV radiation from the sun [10].
Perhaps, with a lack of UV rays, the activity of mitochondria decreased, which led to a decrease in anti-oxidant activity and the amount of free radicals in the tissues of living organisms on Earth, which could not sufficiently neutralize the viruses that cause Covid-19 and other infectious agents. The same applies to the spread of avian, swine flu, African swine fever (ASF), which have become widespread in recent years around the world. No vaccine has been developed for ASF and some countries have suffered huge economic losses due to the loss of about half of the pigs.
It is assumed that mitochondria play a critical role in innate immune signaling against viruses and the production of protective interferons [11]. However, it is
not clear how this immune signaling is carried out. If free radicals are very aggressive, ready to destroy any cell, especially lipid layers containing polyunsaturated fatty acids and capable of being highly oxidized, then why cannot they directly destroy microbial or viral cells themselves? After all, there are millions of them. If we assume that free radicals infect these cells, then the degree of destruction of infectious agents, prevention and treatment of diseases depends on the work of mitochondria, on the level of free radicals produced by them. For some reason, this factor in modern medicine, for example, in the fight against Covid-19, is not taken into account at all.
Meanwhile, the conditions and intensity of work of the mitochondria themselves are well known, so it is possible to influence the production of free radicals by them. So, it is known that with a lack of nutrients in the diet, very few free radicals come out of the electronic transport chain, and with excessive consumption of calories, on the contrary, there are too many of them. In the second case, obesity and accelerated aging are observed in humans, in highly productive cows - various non-communicable diseases, poor reproduction and premature culling. Indicators of antioxidant activity, the level of free radicals (ROS) both in absolute values and in the form of an index of oxidative stress can serve as the main criteria for metabolic status, human vitality, productivity and fertility of animals [12].
There are reports that the Covid-19 virus affects people from poor families, as well as the elderly and the elderly, most and hardest. Their body produces few free radicals, so they cannot destroy infectious agents. People and animals with high metabolic activity have a large reserve of free radicals, which can be believed to be capable of destroying microbial and viral cells. It is known that the Covid-19 virus just consists of several layers of easily oxidized fatty acids, including a two-layer lipid membrane, so it can be destroyed most easily by free radicals. Therefore, if this thesis is taken as a basis, then it becomes clear that in order to combat infectious agents, it is necessary to use a high level of nutrition during the absence of an epidemic of various diseases, in particular, vitamin D, UV irradiation, physical activity, in which the work of mitochondria is activated, contributing to an increase in the number of free radicals in the body, but needing antioxidants to neutralize them, since, on the one hand, they can resist infections, creating a basis for resisting pathogenic bacteria and viruses, and on the other hand, cause degenerative diseases.
During epidemics, on the contrary, it is necessary to activate the work of mitochondria, but use a minimum of antioxidants so that they do not neutralize free radicals, but give them the opportunity to destroy viruses and microbes. Such techniques will make it possible to carry out the prevention and treatment of various degenerative and infectious diseases (COVID-19 coronavirus, African swine fever, etc.) by regulating the level of free radicals and neutralizing harmful factors (viruses, bacteria) by them. The use of vitamin D as a remedy can play a negative role as it neutralizes
free radicals. Maybe the second wave of COVID-19 is caused precisely by an increase in human consumption of antioxidants (vitamins A, D, UV radiation, etc.) in the summer-autumn period, a decrease in the level of free radicals in the blood.
Thus, in the struggle for the health of the Earth's population, for an increase in the life expectancy and economic use of animals, it is necessary to maintain a balance between the intensity of the mitochondria, their production of free radicals and the use of antioxidants.
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