Assessing Mitochondrial Respiratory Complex-Associated Function From Previously Frozen Mouse Placental Tissue

The placenta is a metabolically active organ whose mitochondrial activity is tightly linked to fetal growth, oxygenation, and nutrient transport, mediating fetal susceptibility to environmental exposures. Accordingly, aberrant mitochondrial function has been implicated in the progression of placental dysfunction. However, existing respirometry platforms require primarily fresh or cryopreserved placental tissue and offer limited throughput, rendering these platforms impractical in the context of large-scale placental dissections. Here, we describe and validate a Seahorse XF approach for measuring mitochondrial respiration in previously frozen placentae, enabling the functional interrogation of placental mitochondria in prenatal studies. Our protocol fundamentally relies on the restoration of matrix substrates that are depleted due to increased mitochondrial membrane permeability following freeze-thaw cycles. We provide a strategy to assess complex I and II-associated respiration adapted for the Seahorse XFe24 Analyzer and further demonstrate comparable oxygen consumption readouts between fresh and frozen placentae. We further demonstrate distinct differences in the magnitude of oxygen consumption between fresh and frozen placentae in the absence of exogenous NADH. Taken together, we present a simplified and convenient protocol for the assessment of respiratory enzyme complex-associated respiration from archived placental tissue. Key features • This protocol is suitable for use with previously frozen mouse placental tissue. • Streamlined protocol for complex-associated respirometry assessments following large-scale placental dissections. • Respirometry data may be acquired in <4 hours.