Age Peculiarities of Respiratory Activity and Membrane Microviscosity of Mitochondria from Rat Cardiomyocytes

We studied respiratory activity and microviscosity of mitochondrial membranes from the left ventricular myocardium of 2-month-old (n=8) and 15-month-old (n=8) rats. The respiratory control (RC) during substrate phosphorylation was calculated as the ratio of oxygen absorption rates in the presence of ADP and after its utilization. In 2-month-old rats, RC was 4.66 (4.56; 4.71); in 15-month-old animals, it was significantly (р<0.05) lower: 3.57 (3.50; 3.62). Pyrene probe eximerization indices for regions of protein-lipid and lipid-lipid interactions in mitochondria of 2-month-old animals were significantly lower than in the group of 15-month-old rats, which indicated reduced microviscosity of the lipid environment of proteins. Thus, the decrease in RC of mitochondria from the left ventricle of 15-month-old animals and the increase in the microviscosity coefficients of their membranes indicate age-related changes in the structural and functional activity of mitochondria.