ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the basic molecular mechanism of microbial infections involved in CP deregulation and its restoration by specific therapeutic antioxidants as free radical scavengers to cure these diseases. The nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor Zidovudine, used in HIV infection treatment, induces mtDNA depletion. CP/ATG is emerging as a central component of antimicrobial host defense against microbial infections and is an evolutionary conserved ATP-driven catabolic process that allows the degradation of intracellular microbes by lysosomes in the macrophages. CP/ATG can be triggered by nutrient deprivation, microbial infections, or other challenges to promote cell survival under stressful conditions, is critical in protecting cells from microbial infections, and intertwines with different infectious diseases. CP/ATG is a multi-purpose connection between microbial infections and host cells. Various checks and balances between CP/ATG and IS have been identified during microbial infections. Dysregulation of CP/ATG was observed in rat liver with mtDNA depletion induced by the nucleoside analogue, Zidovudine.
