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Effect of xenobiotics on the respiratory activity of rat heart mitochondria and the concomitant formation of superoxide radicals
Author(s) -
Stolze Klaus,
Nohl Hans
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620130320
Subject(s) - superoxide , chemistry , radical , butylated hydroxyanisole , mitochondrion , inner mitochondrial membrane , respiratory chain , butylated hydroxytoluene , biochemistry , antioxidant , enzyme
The effects of the xenobiotics atrazine, benzene, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), lindane, toluene, and xylenol on the respiration of isolated rat heart mitochondria were studied. Bioenergetic parameters such as respiratory control (RC) and ATP /oxygen (P/O) values decreased considerably in the presence of these substances, and a concomitant increase of superoxide radical (O 2 − ) formation was observed. These observations were discussed in terms of partial damage of the inner mitochondrial membrane, impairing the maintenance of the proton gradient across this membrane. In the presence of protons, ubisemiquinone radicals (UQ − ) present in the inner mitochondrial membrane are able to react with molecular oxygen, thereby generating superoxide radicals. The changes of membrane potential and P/O values show a linear inverse correlation with O 2 − formation rates, whereas this correlation with RC values was not linear.