1. Can you please briefly summarize the paper?
Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose is the most frequent cause of drug-induced liver injury in the Western world. The mitochondrion plays a key role in the pathogenesis of liver injury by APAP.
Here, we demonstrated that the reactive metabolite of APAP, N-acetyl-p-benzoquinoneimine (NAPQI), caused the selective inhibition of mitochondrial complex II activity in both mouse hepatic mitochondria and yeast-derived complexes reconstituted into nanoscale model membranes, as well as the decrease of succinate-driven adenosine triphosphate (ATP) biosynthesis rates, leading to energy crisis.
Methylene blue (MB), a mitochondria-permeant redox-active compound that can act as an alternative electron carrier, improved energy crisis and protected against APAP-induced hepatocyte injury. We summarize that MB can effectively protect mice against APAP-induced liver injury by bypassing the NAPQI-altered mitochondrial complex II, thus alleviating the cellular energy crisis. Thus, we should explore the effects of MB on patients with impaired mitochondrial respiration chain, because MB is a clinically used drug.
2. Can you please tell us the main difficulties you had in the laboratory work and how you overcame them?
There are not main difficulties I had in the laboratory work, because my PI was best teacher, leading to more attractive research. Thus, I had enjoyed for it for two years in his labo. and developed for his research to explore the molecular mechanisms of drugs-induced liver injury (DILI).
3. Please introduce your laboratory, university or organization to bio-researchers in Korea.
DILI is the most important toxicological problem for drug development, and the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Thus, the enough effective treatment for DILI patients has not been established. Our research has explored the underlying mechanisms of DILI.
4. Please tell us your experiences and your thoughts related to research activities abroad.
To achieve more research activities, it was very important to plan good strategy for a strong hypothesis/logical story. It will lead to a success story for your Ph. D. life at home/abroad.
5. Can you provide some advice for younger scientists who have plans to study abroad?
For some advice for younger scientists who have plans to study abroad, I would like to tell them that we should have/keep passion for science, leading to a creative idea with your imagination.
6. Future plan?
I will work for Dep. of oral surgery, Nabu-Tokushiukai hospital, Okinawa in Japan from this 1st Nov. In this filed. drugs-induced osteonecrosis of jaw is one of sever problem, and the underlying mechanisms is not still clear. Thus, I will explore the molecular mechanisms/treatment for drugs-induced osteonecrosis of jaw.