Cardiolipin deficiency disrupts electron transport chain and drives steatohepatitis.

Cardiolipin deficiency in mitochondria impairs electron transport chain function and causes steatohepatitis in mice and humans.

• Why it matters: Understanding how lipid composition changes in mitochondria contribute to liver disease can reveal targets for intervention in MASLD and MASH, which lack effective treatments.
• What they did: Researchers knocked out cardiolipin synthase specifically in hepatocytes, examined human and mouse liver samples, and analyzed mitochondrial function, revealing that low cardiolipin disrupts electron transfer and promotes oxidative stress.
• The result: Loss of cardiolipin led to increased mitochondrial respiratory capacity but also electron leak and oxidative stress, driving liver inflammation and fibrosis, thus linking mitochondrial lipid alterations to disease progression.