Mitochondria are a very important organ in our lives. Mitochondria are still being studied, and a detailed explanation would take a very long time, so I will simply explain mitochondria in this article.

Midi-chlorians and Mitochondria in Star Wars

“Star Wars” is a science fiction blockbuster that was released in 1977, and even recently a new “Star Wars series” has been shown.

In the movies, not everyone can be Jedi knight, and it is necessary to have a very high level of “midi-chlorians” in your cells to be Jedi knight. If you have a lot of midi-chlorians in your cells, you have a very strong Force, which is the power of a Jedi knight.

This director’s creation of “midi-chlorians” is similar to the name of an important organ in our body, “mitochondria”, isn’t it?

The Role of Mitochondria

Mitochondria are present in all of the cells in our body, with the exception of red blood cells. Inside the cell is the nucleus, which contains the DNA (genes) that serve as the blueprint for our body, but the DNA in the mitochondria has its own unique DNA that is completely different from the DNA in the cell. Because of this, it is thought to be a parasite on our bodies, like a bacterium for example.

Mitochondria are responsible for producing energy from the food we take in through our mouths, such as sugar, fat, and protein. We then use that energy to run our bodies. In other words, it is the mitochondria that allow us to move.

The “Force,” the energy body of the Jedi knights, is also affected by the value of midi-chlorians, or the strength of the Force, which is created by the midi-chlorians.

Mitochondria and reactive oxygen species

When mitochondria make energy, they use oxygen that we take into our bodies through breathing.

At the same time, however, they also produce reactive oxygen species that can rust the body. Mitochondria can also be called the source of active oxygen production.

You can read more about mitochondria in the following article on this site.

“Mitochondria are slacking off! The Relationship Between Mitochondria and Oxidative Stress”

Mitochondria play a variety of roles in addition to producing energy. For example, they play a detoxifying role in metabolizing acetaldehyde, which is produced when we drink alcohol, and in synthesizing steroids and iron proteins. Mitochondria are essential for our survival.

Finally.

Mitochondria are very important in the study of oxidative stress. They are still an organelle under study, and many researchers are conducting research on mitochondria, so I believe that we will see many more research results on mitochondria in the future.

As our laboratory continues to study oxidative stress, we will be introducing interesting data related to mitochondria, so please keep your eyes peeled.

Reference
What are reactive oxygen species?