The determination of cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity represents an important indicator for the evaluation of cell oxidative capacity. However, it has been shown repeatedly that different factors modify the rate of COX activity under various experimental conditions. The most important concern the ionic concentrations of the medium and the application of various detergents for the solubilization of mitochondrial membranes. We found the highest activity of COX in rat heart homogenates and mitochondria at 40-60 mM potassium phosphate. The rate of COX activity is dependent on the detergent/protein (P) ratio. Using n-dodecyl-b-D-maltoside (lauryl maltoside, LM) as the detergent, we obtained the highest activity at LM/P ratios of (50:100):1. By kinetic measurements of low-affinity binding sites in heart mitochondria, we found Vlim values of 4.3 and 22.2 mmol cytochrome c per min per mg P in the presence or absence of lauryl maltoside, respectively. The Km values were 16.7 mmol in the presence or absence of lauryl maltoside. Our results thus indicate that 1) the exact assessment of COX activity in heart homogenates and mitochondria requires the determination of optimum phosphate concentrations in the medium used, and 2) even small modifications of the experimental procedure may induce significant differences in the maximum values of COX activity., A. Stieglerová, Z. Drahota, B. Ošťádal, J. Houštěk., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The concentration-dependence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (BHP) inhibitory effect on oxygen consumption in isolated rat liver mitochondria was measured in the presence of various respiratory substrates. Strong inhibitory effect at low concentrations of BHP (15-30 μM) was found for oxoglutarate and palmitoyl carnitine oxidation. Pyruvate and glutamate oxidation was inhibited at higher concentrations of BHP (100-200 μM). Succinate oxidation was not affected even at 3.3 mM BHP. Determination of mitochondrial membrane potential has shown that in the presence of NADH-dependent substrates the membrane potential was dissipated by BHP but was completely restored after addition of succinate. Our data thus indicate that beside peroxidative damage of complex I also various mitochondrial NADH-dependent dehydrogenases are inhibited, but to a different extent and with different kinetics. Our data also show that succinate could be an important nutritional substrate protecting hepatocytes during peroxidative damage., R. Endlicher ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
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
The activities of cytochrome c oxidase and FoF1-ATPase as well as the content of cytochromes cc1, aa3, and b were investigated in free brain mitochondria in the course of postnatal development and aging. The results show an increase of Vmax of both enzymes during postnatal development (between day 5 and 30). During the following phase ending at the age of 6 months, a decrease of FoF1-ATPase and cytochrome c oxidase activity occurs. From 6 to 12 months of age the activity of these enzymes did not change. The KM for both enzymes remained unchanged during the whole period observed. The content of cytochromes increased from the low values found in young rats, reached the highest values at around one month, and decreased till the age of 3 months. Later, their content in brain mitochondria did not markedly change. Our results suggest that the metabolic maturation of brain mitochondria differs in several aspects from the same process in other tissues, mainly in the time course. This is probably due to the unique role of neural tissue in the organism., M. Kalous, H. Rauchová, Z. Drahota., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The increase of radical forms of mitochondrial respiratory chain compounds (MRCC) is an indicator of an increased risk of the formation of oxygen radicals. Using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), we found an increase of signals corresponding to ubisemichinone radical (·QH) and ironsulfur proteins radical forms (·FeS) of these respiratory chain compounds during ischemia in the isolated perfused rat heart (·QH increased from 1.51 to 3.08, ·FeS1 from 1.14 to 2.65 arbitrary units). During the 5-min reperfusion, the signals returned to normoxic levels. In isolated mitochondria exposed to anoxia and reoxygenation the radical forms of ·QH and ·FeS2 changed in a similar manner as in the intact heart. A combination of in vivo captopril treatment and in vitro L-arginine administration significantly decreased the levels of MRCC radicals in the isolated myocardium (·QH from 2.61 to 1.72 and ·FeS1 from 1.82 to 0.46 under normoxia; ·QH from 4.35 to 2.66 and ·FeS1 from 1.93 to 1.35 during ischemia). This decrease in MRCC radical forms was associated with increased NO levels in the perfusate, determined as NO2-/ NO3-, as well as tissue NO levels determined using EPR as the dinitrosyl iron complex (DNIC). These results provide new information about the cardioprotective effects of ACE inhibitors and L-arginine., H. Vavřínková, M. Tutterová, P. Stopka, J. Divišová, L. Kazdová, Z. Drahota., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Lipid peroxidation of rat cerebral cortex membranes was induced by Fe2+/ADP and ascorbate. The rate of Na+/K+-ATPase inhibition was correlated with the increase of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and conjugated dienes (CD) and with membrane fluidity changes. Our data showed that membrane fluidity changes (evaluated by fluorescence steady-state anisotropy measurements) can participate in Na+/K+-ATPase inhibition during the initial period of lipid peroxidation process, whereas during the following period the enzyme inhibition correlates only with TBARS and CD production., H. Rauchová, Z. Drahota, J. Koudelová., and Obsahuje bibliografii