Inherited disturbances of the mitochondrial energy generating system represent a heterogeneous group of disorders associated with a broad spectrum of metabolic abnormalities and clinical symptoms. We used the polarographic and spectrophotometric method for detection of mitochondrial disorders, because these two techniques provide a different insight into mitochondrial function. In six patients suspected of mitochondrial disease we found defects of complex I (two patients), complex III (one patient), complex IV (two patients) and a combination of defect of complex III and IV (one patient). Citrate synthase activity, used as the reference enzyme, was not changed. A comparison of the two methods showed several differences in evaluation of mitochondrial enzymes activity due to the fact that both methods used different conditions for enzyme activity measurements. In contrast to oxygen consumption measurements, where the function of the whole-integrated respiratory chain is characterized, spectrophotometric measurements characterize activities of isolated complexes in disintegrated membranes. However, it may be concluded from our experiments that both methods provide useful and complementary data about mitochondrial energetic functions. Whereas spectrophotometric data are suitable for evaluation of maximal enzyme activities of mitochondrial enzyme complexes, polarographic data provide better information about enzyme activities in cells with mitochondrial defects under in situ conditions., L. Wenchich, Z. Drahota, T. Honzík, H. Hansíková, M. Tesařová, J. Zeman, J. Houštěk., and Obsahuje bibliografii
He began his university career as assistant to Professor B. Brauner in the Institute of Analytical Chemistry of Prague’s Charles University. He became the first Professor of Physical Chemistry at this University in 1926. Heyrovsky’s invention of the polarographic method dates from 1922 and he concentrated his further scientific activity on the development of this new branch of electrochemistry. The instrument designed for recording polarization curves was called a polarograph and from that the new method got the name polarography. In 1950, he was appointed director of the newly established Polarographic Institute which was incorporated into the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences from 1952 to 1992 and since then into the AS CR. and Květa Stejskalová.
Polarografická metoda umožňuje studium řady fyzikálněchemických problémů. Jsou uvedeny příklady z oblasti výzkumu struktury fázového rozhraní elektroda/roztok, adsorpce na povrchu elektrody, elektrochemického fotoefektu, fázových přechodů povrchových filmů, přenosu elektronu na molekulární vzdálenosti a oscilačních elektrochemických systémů., Polarography is a suitable method for solving numerous problems of physical chemistry. Examples from the following fields are given: structure of electrode/solution interfaces, adsorption on electrode surface, electrochemical photo-effect, phase transition of surface films, electron transfer over molecular distances, and electrochemical oscillating systems., Lubomír Pospíšil., and Obsahuje bibliografii