The action of 5-coordinate triorganotin compounds on rat liver mitochondria

5-Coordinate tin compounds influence mitochondrial function in the same three ways as triorganotin compounds: (1) they inhibit the energy conservation system like oligomycin, (2) they cause a Cl-/OH- exchange across mitochondrial membranes and (3) at high concentrations they cause large scale swelling. Unlike other triorganotin compounds they inhibit (1) at much lower concentrations than (2) and are as effective as oligomycin. Thhe implications of these findings for the mechanism of reaction of organotins with proteins, enzymes and mitochondria are discussed.