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Mechanism

Mitophagy (PINK1 / Parkin)

Reference definition for a mitochondrial-biology node.

Quality-control pathway

Definition

Category: Quality-control pathway

Also known as: selective mitochondrial autophagy, PINK1/Parkin pathway

Mitophagy is the selective autophagic clearance of damaged or depolarised mitochondria. In the best-characterised route, loss of membrane potential stabilises the kinase PINK1 on the outer membrane, which recruits and activates the E3 ligase Parkin to tag the organelle for degradation. Declining mitophagy with age is the rationale behind the mitophagy activator urolithin A.

Key points

  • Mitophagy is the specific target of urolithin A, a gut-microbiome metabolite of ellagitannins studied as a mitophagy inducer.
  • PINK1/Parkin is the canonical but not the only mitophagy route; receptor-mediated pathways (e.g. BNIP3/NIX, FUNDC1) also exist.
  • Inducing mitophagy in a model or improving a muscle biomarker in a trial does not by itself establish a human aging or lifespan benefit.

Related interventions

Sourcing

Standard mitophagy reviews (PINK1/Parkin); Ryu et al. 2016 for the urolithin A link.

Reference synthesis (tier 4); verification: review_level_2026-07-12.