1-Trichloromethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-beta-carboline, a new inhibitor of complex I

The neurotoxic agent MPP+ is an artificial substance producing a syndrome very similar to that of idiopathic Parkinson's disease. There are also naturally occuring neurotoxic substances under discussion like the group of isoquinoline and beta-carboline alkaloids. All these substances are more or less powerfull inhibitors of complex I of the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. This study examined the effect of 1-trichloromethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-beta-carboline (TaClo), a putative in vivo condensation product of chloralhydrate and tryptamine, on the oxidative phosphorylation system compared to MPP+. Similar to MPP+, TaClo inhibits only the electron transfer from complex I towards ubiquinone. Demonstrating a 10-times more effective inhibition than MPP+, complex I activity is fully inhibited by 800 microM TaClo in brain homogenates and submitochondrial particles. By extending the preincubation time from 5 to 30 min complex I is already inhibited by 400 microM TaClo. Other derivates of TaClo as N-methyl-TaClo demonstrate an even greater inhibitory effect on complex I and especially on complex II activities.