The Charnoly body as a universal biomarker of cell injury

Abstract The Charnoly body (CB) is a pleomorphic, electron-dense, multilamellar, preapoptotic, mitochondrial biomarker of cell injury. Nutritional stress and environmental toxins induce CB formation in highly vulnerable developing neurons because of compromised mitochondrial bioenergetics; however, nutritional rehabilitation, physiological zinc supplementation, and metallothioneins (MTs) inhibit CB formation. Accumulation of CBs at the junction of the axon hillock may impair the axoplasmic transport of ions, neurotransmitters, neurotropic factors, and enzymes at the synaptic terminals. Therefore, drugs may be developed to inhibit CB formation in neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, nonspecific induction of CB formation in hyperproliferating cells with cancer chemotherapy causes as adverse effects alopecia, myelosuppression, gastrointestinal tract symptoms, cardiovascular toxicity, and infertility. Hence, drugs may be developed to induce cancer stem cell-specific CB formation to cure multidrug-resistant malignancies and chronic infections. Natural abundance and genetic susceptibility of mitochondrial DNA qualify CB as an early, unique, and sensitive universal biomarker of clinical significance.