Ketogenic treatment reduces the percentage of a LHON heteroplasmic mutation and increases mtDNA amount of a LHON homoplasmic mutation

BACKGROUND: The vision loss in Leber hereditary optic neuropathy patients is due to mitochondrial DNA mutations. No treatment has shown a clear-cut benefit on a clinically meaningful end-point. However, clinical evidences suggest two therapeutic approaches: the reduction of the mutation load in heteroplasmic patients or the elevation of mitochondrial DNA amount in homoplasmic patients. RESULTS: Here we show that ketogenic treatment, in cybrid cell lines, reduces the percentage of the m.13094 T > C heteroplasmic mutation and also increases the mitochondrial DNA levels of the m.11778G > A mitochondrial genotype. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that ketogenic diet could be a therapeutic strategy for Leber hereditary optic neuropathy.