Mitochondria optical parameters are dependent on their energy state: a new electrooptical effect?

The membrane potential of mitochondria determines, to a large extent, their functional state and the response to the changing conditions of the environment. A correlation was found between the changes in the optical characteristics of isolated mitochondria and the composition of the incubation medium, which determines the potential of the inner mitochondrial membrane. The measurements performed by the method of coherent phase microscopy made it possible to establish a linear dependence of the phase height on the value of the membrane potential and to calculate the electrooptical constant, K approximately equal to (3-4) x 10(-7) m/V.