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Review
. 2024 Dec 27;22(3):40.
doi: 10.3892/br.2024.1918. eCollection 2025 Mar.

Mechanism of PI3K/Akt‑mediated mitochondrial pathway in obesity‑induced apoptosis (Review)

Jiarui Li  1   2 , Mingxiu Sun  1 , Ming Tang  1 , Xin Song  1 , Kaize Zheng  3 , Tianwei Meng  1   2 , Chengjia Li  1   2 , Likun Du  2
Affiliations
Review

Mechanism of PI3K/Akt‑mediated mitochondrial pathway in obesity‑induced apoptosis (Review)

Jiarui Li et al. Biomed Rep. .

Abstract

Obesity is a pervasive global health challenge that substantially reduces the quality of life of millions of individuals and impedes social and economic advancement. Obesity is an independent risk factor that contributes to a range of chronic non-communicable metabolic diseases, significantly affecting energy metabolism, mental health, cancer susceptibility, sleep quality, and other physiological processes. The PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, a significant glucose, lipid, and protein metabolism regulator, is integral to cellular growth, survival, and apoptosis. Apoptosis is a highly regulated form of programmed cell death that is critical for immune cell maturation and tissue repair. The present review examines the association between obesity, the PI3K/AKT pathway, and mitochondrial apoptosis to elucidate the potential mechanisms by which obesity may activate apoptotic pathways. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for mitigating obesity-related complications by targeting these critical pathways.

Keywords: PI3K/AKT signaling pathway; apoptosis; mitochondrial pathway; obesity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mechanism of apoptosis regulation in the mitochondrial pathway by PI3K/AKT. IGF-1R, insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor; GPCR, G-protein coupled receptor; BCR, B-cell receptor; VEGFR, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor; TCR, T-cell receptor; EGFR, epidermal growth factor receptor; IRS-1, insulin receptor substrate 1; PI3K, phosphoinositide 3-kinase; PIP2, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate; PIP3, phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-triphosphate; AKT, protein kinase B; Bcl-2, B-cell lymphoma 2; Bax, Bcl-2-associated X protein; Bad, Bcl-2-associated death promoter; Cyt c, cytochrome c, Apaf-1, apoptotic protease activating factor 1; caspase-9, cysteinyl aspartate specific protease 9; caspase-3, cysteinyl aspartate specific protease 3. (Created in BioRender. Li, J. (2024) https://BioRender.com/y00e363).
Table II
Table II
Structures of active components of Traditional Chinese medicine and their effects on the PI3K/AKT pathway and apoptosis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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