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Saturable ethanol binding in rat liver mitochondria
S Channareddy1, N T Nguyen, N Janes
1Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology, Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, 1020 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta
|February 17, 2000
Summary
Ethanol binds to cellular membranes in a saturable manner, affecting mitochondrial function. This binding is reversible and occurs at physiologically relevant concentrations, explaining ethanol
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cell Biology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Ethanol's interaction with biological tissues is generally considered negligible.
- Previous studies reported saturable ethanol binding in rat liver microsomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the saturable binding of ethanol to rat liver mitochondria.
- To explore the implications of saturable ethanol binding for cellular membranes and ethanol's biological effects.
Main Methods:
- Studied ethanol binding to isolated rat liver mitochondria.
- Assessed the effect of heat treatment on ethanol binding.
- Examined ethanol binding to extracted mitochondrial phospholipids.
Main Results:
- Ethanol binding to mitochondria is saturable at physiologically relevant concentrations.
- The binding is reversible and heat-sensitive.
- Saturable binding was not observed in extracted phospholipids, suggesting a protein or complex lipid structure involvement.
- Similar binding motifs may exist in other cellular membranes.
Conclusions:
- Saturable ethanol binding sites exist in cellular membranes, potentially due to packing defects.
- This binding reconciles with ethanol's biodistribution, as similar affinities for water limit free ethanol concentration.
- Some binding sites exhibit submillimolar affinities, aligning with observed in vitro and in vivo ethanol efficacies.