Membrane potential and surface potential in mitochondria: uptake and binding of lipophilic cations

The uptake and binding of the lipophilic cations ethidium+, tetraphenylphosphonium+ (TPP+), triphenylmethylphosphonium+ (TPMP+), and tetraphenylarsonium+ (TPA+) in rat liver mitochondria and submitochondrial particles were investigated. The effects of membrane potential, surface potentials and cation concentration on the uptake and binding were elucidated. The accumulation of these cations by mitochondria is described by an uptake and binding to the matrix face of the inner membrane in addition to the binding to the cytosolic face of the inner membrane. The apparent partition coefficients between the external medium and the cytosolic surface of the inner membrane (K'o) and the internal matrix volume and matrix face of the inner membrane (K'i) were determined and were utilized to estimate the membrane potential delta psi from the cation accumulation factor Rc according to the relation delta psi = RT/ZF ln [(RcVo - K'o)/(Vi + K'i)] where Vo and Vi are the volume of the external medium and the mitochondrial matrix, respectively, and Rc is the ratio of the cation content of the mitochondria and the medium. The values of delta psi estimated from this equation are in remarkably good agreement with those estimated from the distribution of 86Rb in the presence of valinomycin. The results are discussed in relation to studies in which the membrane potential in mitochondria and bacterial cells was estimated from the distribution of lipophilic cations.