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Effects of veratrine on skeletal muscle mitochondria: Ultrastructural, cytochemical, and morphometrical studies
Author(s) -
Freitas Erika Maria Silva,
Fagian Márcia M.,
Höfling Maria Alice Da Cruz
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
microscopy research and technique
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1097-0029
pISSN - 1059-910X
DOI - 10.1002/jemt.20280
Subject(s) - mitochondrion , cytochrome c oxidase , biochemistry , succinate dehydrogenase , biology , nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide , ultrastructure , dehydrogenase , respiratory chain , alkaloid , nad+ kinase , chemistry , enzyme , anatomy , botany
The alkaloid veratrine is a lipid‐soluble neurotoxin, which target voltage‐gated Na + channels for their primary action. Recently, we showed that this alkaloid may cause myonecrosis and evidences suggest mitochondria as one of its cell targets. Herein, we investigate the effects caused by variable concentration of veratrine (250 and 550 μg/mL) on mitochondrial oxygen consumption, respiratory chain enzymes activities, and ultrastructure, combining electron microscopy with cytochemical and biochemical approaches. The results showed different sort of ultrastructural changes, both in isolated and intramuscular mitochondria. Veratrine decreased mitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase (NADH‐d), succinic dehydrogenase (SDH), and cytochrome oxidase (COX) activities, significantly and dose‐dependently inhibited the state 3 respiration rate, respiratory control ratio (RCR), and ADP/O on isolated rat skeletal muscle mitochondria, whereas state 4 was unaffected. A tendency of increase in mitochondria diameter was seen with 250 μg/mL veratrine. We conclude that the alkaloid would probably act on mitochondrial membrane phospholipid configuration, which would explain the changes observed. Microsc. Res. Tech. 69:108–118, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.