What does the mitochondria really do?

The mitochondria is really a fascinating thing and I feel the tag “Powerhouse” is used by many people without much knowledge of all that it is capable of doing. Our i
cells are made up of these tiny things called organelles, and the mitochondria is one of them. The mitochondria is like an engine right inside our cells, working hard to keep everything running smoothly and that’s why it is referred to as the powerhouse of the cell.

London Health Sciences Center

But how does this powerhouse work?

So, here's the deal: our bodies need energy to do all the things we do—running, jumping, thinking, even reading this post, you name it. And guess what? The mitochondria is the one responsible for producing that energy. Just like a train, or a car engine, the mitochondria burns fuel to bring about the energy we need for our activities.

But how does it work? What’s the fuel it uses to produce all this energy? Well, the mitochondria takes in the food we eat which can be called macromolecules and breaks it down into smaller pieces. Then, through a special process called cellular respiration, it turns those small pieces into a molecule called ATP(Adenosine triphosphate). ATP is like the fuel that powers our cells. It's what gives us the chemical energy to power the biological reactions of the cell and helps us to do everything from blinking our eyes to playing sports. My son is always super active after taking anything with sugar in it and the sugar rush comes some minutes after taking those things. That’s just the mitochondria in action. It breaks down the sugar and releases enough chemical energy to make the child active.

But the mitochondria does more than energy production . It has other important jobs too which are equally important and interesting like the regulation of the levels of calcium in our cells, which is necessary for regulating the permeation between cells. The mitochondria is also involved in a process called apoptosis, which is essentially programmed or controlled cell death. Apoptosis is like a controlled self-destruct mechanism that cells use when they are old, damaged, or no longer needed. It's a way for the body to get rid of unwanted or malfunctioning cells without causing harm. The mitochondria are involved in this process, serving as the directors of cell demise. They release certain molecules that trigger the orderly and organized breakdown of the cell, ensuring that it doesn't cause any harm to the surrounding cells or tissues. So blame your aging on your mitochondria😂. When apoptosis happens rapidly, it is referred to as Mitochondrial disease which was first discovered in 1962 when a woman was discovered to have fast metabolism and large mitochondria in her muscle tissues. Interesting right?

Even though the mitochondria is tiny, it's incredibly important for keeping our bodies going strong. Without it, we wouldn't have the energy we need to do all the amazing things we do every day. So, next time you hear someone talk about the mitochondria, remember that it's like a little power station inside our cells, working hard to keep us energized and alive!

References

1. London Health Sciences Center - https://www.lhsc.on.ca/medical-genetics-program-of-southwestern-ontario/all-about-mitochondria#:~:text=What%20are%20mitochondria%3F,in%20the%20food%20we%20eat.

2. National Human Genome Research institute- https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Mitochondria

All content is mine eccept stated othewise