Unmasking the janus faces of autophagy in obesity-associated insulin resistance and cardiac dysfunction

1. Autophagy is an intracellular, lysosomal-dependent process involved in the turnover of long-lived proteins, damaged organelles and other subcellular structures. The autophagic process is known to play an essential role in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Results from recent studies also indicate an important role for the autophagic process in the pathogenesis of human diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes mellitus and ageing.