Long-Term Bezafibrate Treatment Improves Skin and Spleen Phenotypes of the mtDNA Mutator Mouse

Long-term bezafibrate treatment in mtDNA mutator mice improved skin and spleen phenotypes by restoring collagen, delaying hair loss, reducing spleen weight, and decreasing apoptosis, likely through anti-inflammatory responses regulated by PPARγ. However, it did not enhance mitochondrial content or function in skeletal muscle, did not prevent muscle mass loss, and induced hepatomegaly and liver damage. The study involved 11-26 mice per group for body weight measurements and 2-7 mice per group for other analyses, suggesting bezafibrate could potentially benefit humans with chronic bioenergetic-related tissue degeneration, though liver toxicity remains a concern.