Cigarette smoke-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in

In this thesis we studied the effects of cigarette smoke (CS) on mitochondrial function and oxidative stress in epithelial cells and discussed the potential of these phenomena in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD). In the first three chapters we demonstrated that CS disturbs mitochondrial function, increase reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and alters the regulation of cell death. In chapter 4 and 5 we investigated the effects of gaseous-phase CS and H2O2 on the antioxidant glutathione and thiol proteins regulating redox state, morphology and cell death pathways in airway epithelial cells. In chapter 6 we studied the negative side effects of cyclosporine A (CsA), an immunosuppressive drug and potent inducer of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) closure, on mitochondrial membrane potential, oxidative stress and calcium homeostasis in relation to chronic renal allograft dysfunction.