Related Experiment Videos
The preservation of mitochondrial functions in extracellular environments
1Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, Pomeranian Academy of Medicine, Szczecin, Poland.
Abstract:
Mitochondria are labile objects when isolated from mammalian organs and may undergo rapid changes (aging) in vitro. This work attempts to examine conditions which retard such changes. Isolated rat heart mitochondria were incubated for 180 min in the presence of various substances whose properties might influence the aging process as expressed by changes in oxygen consumption rates. It was found that retardation was greatest with substances which potentially influence reactions involving fatty acids. This effect is discussed in terms of various mechanisms of mitochondrial aging.