It is thought that when a sudden bioenergetic catastrophe opens the megachannel before the cell can adapt, the cell undergoes violent necrotic death. On the other hand, when the megachannel opens gradually over a sufficient period of time, an orderly cellular suicide process unfolds instead. A binding site for the CoQ10 family of compounds has been shown to regulate the opening of the mega-channel in rat liver and muscle cells. Moreover, groundbreaking new laboratory research shows that CoQ10 directly inhibits the opening of the megachannel. Japanese research shows the visible effect of CoQ10 on cells under stress.
Oxidative stress leads to programmed cell death, partly by damaging the cellular respiratory chain.
As free radicals degrade the cell's metabolism regulatory mechanisms, DNA and proteins, the cell takes adaptive measures. The mitochondria typically enlarge or fuse to form megamitochondria. Scientists speculate that this conserves energy or reduces free radical production. If oxidative stress subsides, the cell may return to normal. However, additional oxidative stress brings on programmed cell death.