Shock-induced damage to mitochondrial function and some cellular antioxidant mechanisms in humans

The effects of circulatory shock on skeletal muscle mitochondrial oxidative activity in various substrates and cytochrome oxidase activity have been investigated using samples of muscle obtained by the needle biopsy technique from human subjects. The effect of shock on superoxide dismutase activity and glutathione content of skeletal muscle was also examined. The results show that there is a large decrease in cytochrome oxidase activity during shock and also in the capacity of the mitochondria to oxidize either succinate, or pyruvate, or palmitoyl carnitine. There is a fall in the tissue content of superoxide dismutase and in the total glutathione present. Furthermore, an increased oxidized glutathione content causes a decrease in the molar ratio of reduced to oxidized glutathione present in the muscle. These findings suggest that mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) oxidative damage can play a relevant role in the pathogenesis of circulatory shock and support the hypothesis of oxygen-free radical involvement in the cellular injury.