Van Campenhout, Jente, Buntinx, Yanthe, Xiong, Huan-Yu et al. · Biomolecules · 2025 · DOI
This review examines how ME/CFS might involve two connected problems: the body's cells not producing enough energy, and the immune system not working properly. The authors suggest that when cells can't make enough energy, this might directly weaken the immune system, which could explain why patients experience severe fatigue and feel worse after physical activity. The review proposes that treatments targeting both energy production and immune function together might help patients more effectively than treating either problem alone.
Understanding how energy metabolism and immune dysfunction are connected in ME/CFS is critical for developing better treatments. Most current approaches address only one system at a time; this review suggests targeting both simultaneously could be more effective. For patients, this integrated understanding may accelerate development of therapies that address the root causes of fatigue and post-exertional malaise rather than just symptoms.
This review does not prove that mitochondrial dysfunction directly causes immune exhaustion in ME/CFS patients—it identifies correlations and proposes theoretical mechanisms from existing literature. It is not a clinical trial, so it cannot demonstrate whether any proposed treatments actually work. The review reflects the state of current understanding, which remains incomplete due to limited mechanistic research in ME/CFS specifically.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Van Campenhout, Jente, Buntinx, Yanthe, Xiong, Huan-Yu, Wyns, Arne, Polli, Andrea, Nijs, Jo, et al. (2025). Unravelling the Connection Between Energy Metabolism and Immune Senescence/Exhaustion in Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.. Biomolecules. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15030357
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-van-campenhout-2025-unravelling-connection,
author = {Van Campenhout, Jente and Buntinx, Yanthe and Xiong, Huan-Yu and Wyns, Arne and Polli, Andrea and Nijs, Jo and Aerts, Joeri L and Laeremans, Thessa and Hendrix, Jolien},
title = {Unravelling the Connection Between Energy Metabolism and Immune Senescence/Exhaustion in Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.},
journal = {Biomolecules},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.3390/biom15030357},
note = {PubMed: 40149893},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/van-campenhout-2025-unravelling-connection},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-25. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/van-campenhout-2025-unravelling-connection
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.