Perspectives in Diabetes Oxidative Capacity, Lipotoxicity, and Mitochondrial Damage in Type 2 Diabetes

Recent evidence points toward decreased oxidative ca-pacity and mitochondrial aberrations as a major con-tributor to the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. In this article we will provide an integrative view on the interrelation between decreased oxidative capacity, lipotoxicity, and mitochondrial ab-errations in type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is charac-terized by disturbances in fatty acid metabolism and is accompanied by accumulation of fatty acids in nonadi-pose tissues. In metabolically active tissues, such as skeletal muscle, fatty acids are prone to so-called oxi-dative damage. In addition to producing energy, mito-chondria are also a major source of reactive oxygen species, which can lead to lipid peroxidation. In partic-ular, the mitochondrial matrix, which contains DNA