Induction of autophagy by depolarization of mitochondria

Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a crucial role in the macroautophagy/autophagy cascade. In a recently published study Sun et al. described the induction of autophagy by the membranophilic triphenylphosphonium (TPP)-based cation 10-(6-ubiquinonyl) decyltriphenylphosphonium (MitoQ) in HepG2 cells (Sun C, et al. MitoQ regulates autophagy by inducing a pseudo-mitochondrial membrane potential [PMMP], Autophagy 2017, 13:730-738.). Sun et al. suggested that MitoQ adsorbed to the inner mitochondrial membrane with its cationic moiety remaining in the intermembrane space, adding a large number of positive charges and establishing a pseudo-mitochondrial membrane potential, which blocked the ATP synthase. Here we argue that the suggested mechanism for generation of the pseudo-mitochondrial membrane potential is physically implausible and contradicts earlier findings on the electrophoretic displacements of membranophilic cations within and through phospholipid membranes. We provide evidence that TPP-cations dissipated the mitochondrial membrane potential in HepG2 cells and that the induction of autophagy in carcinoma cells by TPP-cations correlated with the uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation. The mild uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylationby various mitochondria-targeted penetrating cations may contribute to their reported therapeutic effects via inducing both autophagy and mitochondria-selective mitophagy.