Evaluation of Mitochondrial Functions and Dysfunctions in Muscle Biopsy Samples

Abstract

Within the past decade, the list of publications involving mitochondrial dysfunction in the etiology of metabolic disorders in obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, has been growing steadily. Today, large controversies still exist and it is clear that the understanding of the causes and consequences of impairments in mitochondrial functioning are far from being accomplished. In this context, our purpose is to review techniques used in human samples to highlight defects in mitochondrial activity, with a particular focus on skeletal muscle. Several tools are described to assess a large array of mitochondrial functions. In order to facilitate the reading of the review, several details related to methodological concerns are provided in supplementary materials and remain available upon request to the authors.