Education
About Complex Four
Complex IV: what it does, why “electron leakage” happens, and how oxidative stress fits into ageing research.
Mitochondria: The Powerhouse of the Cell
Mitochondria are your cells’ energy factories. They use nutrients + oxygen to create ATP (usable energy). This happens along a “conveyor belt” called the electron transport chain (ETC), which helps build a proton gradient that powers energy production.
Where Complex Four sits
Complex Four takes electrons and uses them to reduce oxygen into water. At the same time, it helps maintain the proton gradient that drives energy production.
Why it’s called “Complex Four”
The ETC includes multiple large protein “complexes.” Complex Four is the final major step before oxygen is turned into water. That final step matters because it’s where oxygen is handled directly.
Electron leakage and ROS
Ideally, electrons move smoothly along the ETC, but this doesn't always happen and sometimes electrons leak and react with oxygen, forming reactive oxygen species (ROS) like superoxide. In many textbooks and reviews, excessive electron leakage and ROS production is associated with the aetiology of many disease states. ROS isn’t automatically “bad.” Cells use redox signals on purpose. The problem is when ROS production chronically exceeds antioxidant capacity — that’s oxidative stress.
Why this shows up in ageing research
Many ageing models involve a feedback loop: mitochondrial efficiency declines, ROS handling worsens, and damage accumulates (proteins, lipids, DNA), which can further impair mitochondria. Large reviews discuss mitochondria as both a major ROS source and a major ROS target, linking mitochondrial dysfunction + oxidative stress to many age-related biological changes.
This is a research framework, not a diagnosis. Human biology is multi-factorial and individual.
So… why “Complex Four” as a brand?
Because it’s a memorable way to point to the mitochondria — energy, oxygen use, and redox balance — without making medical promises. We focus on: clear education, careful language, and practical wellness routines.
Selected references
Click below for further reading:
References (selected)
- Murphy, “How mitochondria produce reactive oxygen species” (2009).
- Nolfi-Donegan et al., review on ETC, oxidative phosphorylation, and oxidant production (2020).
- Giorgi et al., “Mitochondria and ROS in ageing” (2018).
- Balaban et al., “Mitochondria, oxidants, and aging” (2005).
- Caruana & Stroud, structural overview of the respiratory chain; includes Complex IV role (2020).
- Xu et al., review on mitochondria in oxidative stress/inflammation/ageing (2025).
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