The effect of paracetamol on mitochondrial function was studied using rat liver slices. Changes in the potential of the mitochondrial and plasma membrane were monitored using [3H]-triphenylmethylphosphonium (TPMP+) and [14C]thiocyanate (SCN-) probes, respectively. Liver slices were exposed to 10 mM paracetamol for various time periods (0-360 min) after loading with TPMP+. The release of TPMP+ w...

In this study we show that binding of mitochondria to vimentin intermediate filaments (VIF) is regulated by GTPase Rac1. The activation of Rac1 leads to a redoubling of mitochondrial motility in murine fibroblasts. Using double-mutants Rac1(G12V, F37L) and Rac1(G12V, Y40H) that are capable to activate different effectors of Rac1, we show that mitochondrial movements are regulated through PAK1 k...

Tea polyphenols are of great benefit to the treatment of several neurodegenerative diseases. In order to explore the neuroprotective effects of tea polyphenols and their potential mechanisms, an established in vivo subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) model was used and alterations of mitochondrial function, ATP content, and cytochrome c (cyt c) in cerebral cortex were detected. This study showed that...

UNLABELLED Mitochondrial membrane potential is essential for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis by oxidative phosphorylation, and its abolition is an early event during apoptosis, a type of cell death commonly exhibited by tumor cells responding to treatment. Dissipation of mitochondrial membrane potential can be specifically induced using the K+ ion channel-opening agent valinomycin and ha...

Peroxisome proliferators are a group of structurally diverse chemicals that cause the proliferation of peroxisomes in rodents. The purpose of this investigation was to test the hypothesis that the shared effect of these compounds on peroxisome proliferation is mediated through a common inhibitory effect on mitochondrial bioenergetics. Freshly isolated rat liver mitochondria were energized with ...

We have been studying the membranes of cisplatin (DDP)-resistant 2008 human ovarian carcinoma cells (C13* cells) for alterations that may account for their decreased DDP accumulation. We now report that C13* cells have significant changes in their mitochondrial and plasma mem brane potentials and in their mitochondrial morphology. C13* cells accumulated 2.0 ±0.1-fold more of the membrane poten...

Permeant cationic fluorescent probes are shown to be selectively accumulated by the mitochondria of living cells. Mitochondria-specific interaction of such molecules is apparently dependent on the high trans-membrane potential (inside negative) maintained by functional mitochondria. Dissipation of the mitochondrial trans-membrane and potential by ionophores or inhibitors of electron transport e...

A biological microelectromechanical system (BioMEMS) device was designed to study complementary mitochondrial parameters important in mitochondrial dysfunction studies. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been linked to many diseases, including diabetes, obesity, heart failure and aging, as these organelles play a critical role in energy generation, cell signaling and apoptosis. The synthesis of ATP ...

2-( Dimethylaminostyryl )-l-methyl pyridinium, a fluorescent indicator of mitochondrial membrane potential, is accumulated up to 400-fold by intact, isolated brown adipocytes from cold-adapted guinea pigs. The indicator can be optically localized within the in situ mitochondria. Ionophores which would be predicted to lower or increase the in situ mitochondrial membrane potential lead to decreas...