Method to Obtain a Chlorophyll-free Preparation of Intact Mitochondria from Spinach Leaves

Mitochondria from green leaves of spinach have been prepared using a three-step procedure involving differential centrifugation, partition in an aqueous dextran polyethylene glycol two-phase system and Percoll gradient centrifugation. The mitochondrial fractions after the different steps of purification were compared. The final mitochondrial preparation was totally free from chloroplast material measured as chlorophyll content. The enrichment of mitochondria in relation to peroxisomes and microsomes was approximately 12 and 33 times, respectively, based on NAD:isocitrate dehydrogenase activity, glycolate oxidase activity, and NADPH:cytochrome c oxidoreductase activity. The apparent intactness of the inner and the outer mitochondrial membranes was higher than 90% as measured by latency of enzyme activities. The mitochondria showed high respiratory rates with respiratory control and the ADP/O ratios approached the theoretical limits.