N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine induces Ca2+ release from mitochondria by stimulating pyridine nucleotide hydrolysis.

The mechanism of N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine (NAPQI)-induced release of Ca2+ from rat liver mitochondria was investigated. The addition of NAPQI or 3,5-Me2-NAPQI (a dimethylated analogue of NAPQI with only oxidizing properties) to mitochondria resulted in the rapid and extensive oxidation of NADH and NADPH. High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of mitochondrial pyridine nucleotides revealed that the formation of NAD+ and NADP+ was followed by a time-dependent net loss of total pyridine nucleotides as a result of their hydrolysis, with the formation of nicotinamide. Preincubation of the mitochondria with cyclosporin A completely prevented the quinone imine-stimulated release of sequestered Ca2+ from mitochondria. Cyclosporin A did not affect the ability of NAPQI or 3,5-Me2-NAPQI to oxidize NAD(P)H but prevented the quinone imine-induced hydrolysis of the pyridine nucleotides. Although there was no detectable change in total protein-bound ADP-ribose content during quinone imine-induced Ca2+ release from mitochondria, meta-iodobenzylguanidine, a competitive inhibitor of protein mono(ADP-ribosylation), prevented Ca2+ release by NAPQI and 3,5-Me2-NAPQI; meta-iodobenzylguanidine did not inhibit the quinone imine-induced NAD(P)H oxidation and only partially blocked hydrolysis of the oxidized pyridine nucleotides. It is concluded that NAPQI causes the oxidation of mitochondrial NADH and NADPH, and stimulates Ca2+ release as a result of the further hydrolysis of the oxidized pyridine nucleotides and protein mono(ADP-ribosylation).     

Quinone toxicity in hepatocytes: studies on mitochondrial Ca2+ release induced by benzoquinone derivatives

Hepatocyte cytotoxicity caused by substituted benzoquinones was associated with increased cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. p-Benzoquinone-induced hepatotoxicity was enhanced when the hepatocytes were loaded with Ca2+ by preincubation with ATP. A similar order of potency of the substituted benzoquinones in releasing Ca2+ from isolated mitochondria and inducing hepatocyte cytotoxicity was found; in decreasing order, this was 2-Br-, unsubstituted-, 2-CH3-, 2,6-(CH3O)2-, 2,6-(CH3)2-, 2,5-(CH3)2-, 2,3,5-(CH3)3-, and 2,3,5,6-(CH3)4-benzoquinones (duroquinone). The cellular products of quinone metabolism, hydroquinones and glutathione conjugates, did not cause mitochondrial Ca2+ release. Benzoquinone-induced mitochondrial Ca2+ release was preceded by GSH conjugate formation and NAD(P)H oxidation but followed by mitochondrial swelling. With duroquinone, a slow GSH and NADPH oxidation preceded Ca2+ release, but GSH oxidation did not occur with Se-deficient mitochondria lacking glutathione peroxidase activity. Cyanide-insensitive respiration was also observed with duroquinone but not with benzoquinone, suggesting that duroquinone undergoes redox cycling. GSH was depleted by both arylation and oxidation with 2,6-(CH3O)2-, 2,6-(CH3)2-, 2,5(CH3)2-, and 2,3,5-(CH3)3-benzoquinones. Benzoquinone concentrations that totally depleted GSH did not cause Ca2+ release until intramitochondrial NAD(P)H was oxidized. Ca2+ release was also prevented when NAD(P)H generation was stimulated by the presence of isocitrate or 3-hydroxybutyrate. This suggests that mitochondrial Ca2+ release is associated with NAD(P)H oxidation catalyzed by NADH dehydrogenase with benzoquinone or by the glutathione peroxidase-glutathione reductase system with duroquinone.     

Hydroperoxide-induced loss of pyridine nucleotides and release of calcium from rat liver mitochondria

It has been previously reported (L?tscher, H. R., Winterhalter, K. H., Carafoli, E., and Richter, C. (1979) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 76, 4340-4344) that in Ca2+-loaded mitochondria hydroperoxides induce a release of Ca2+ from mitochondria and an irreversible oxidation of mitochondrial pyridine nucleotides. Here we show that in the presence of Ca2+ oxidized mitochondrial pyridine nucleotides are hydrolyzed inside mitochondria and that nicotinamide is released from mitochondria. The extent of the hydrolysis of NAD(P)+ is dependent on the amount of both hydroperoxide and Ca2+. The hydrolysis is reversible in the presence of added nicotinamide. The release of Ca2+ from mitochondria is electroneutral, and is directly or indirectly dependent on oxidized mitochondrial pyridine nucleotides. By contrast, the uptake of Ca2+ most probably does not require the present of reduced pyridine nucleotides. Control experiments show that even under the most drastic conditions employed in this study (100 nmol of Ca2+ and 85 nmol of t-butylhydroperoxide/mg of protein) mitochondria retain a considerable degree of functional integrity.     

The reductive metabolism of diaziquone (AZQ) in the S9 fraction of MCF-7 cells: Free radical formation and NAD(P)H: Quinone-acceptor oxidoreductase (DT-diaphorase) activity

The S9 fraction of MCF-7 human breast carcinoma cells has NAD(P)H (quinone-acceptor) oxidoreductase activity as measured by the reduction of dichlorophenol-indophenol (DCPIP). This reduction is dependent on the activators Tween-20 and bovine serum albumin and it is inhibitable by dicumarol. The S9 fraction also has cytochrome c reductase activity which is approximately 29 times less than the two-electron reduction activity of NAD(P)H (quinone-acceptor) oxidoreductase. Diaziquone (AZQ) is a substrate for this NAD(P)H oxidoreductase active S9 fraction as judged by its enzymatic reduction detected spectrophotometrically and by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. Two-electron mediated enzymatic reduction of AZQ was evidenced by the formation of the colorless dihydroquinone (AZQH2) which could be followed at 340 nm. The production of the dihydroquinone was inhibitable by dicumarol implicating NAD(P)H oxidoreductase in its formation. Under aerobic conditions, electron spin resonance spectroscopy showed evidence for the production of AZQ semiquinone (AZQH) and oxygen radicals. Under anaerobic conditions no oxygen radicals were observed, but the semiquinone was stable for hours. These results are also inhibitable by dicumarol and suggest a two-step one-electron oxidation process of the dihydroquinone. The production of semiquinone and oxygen radicals as detected by electron spin resonance spectroscopy was more sensitive to dicumarol when NADPH was used as cofactor (68% inhibition of OH and 65% inhibition of AZQH) than when NADH was used (28% inhibition of OH and 5% inhibition of AZQH). This suggests that NADH flavin reductases play a more important role in the one-electron reduction pathway of AZQ in MCF-7 S9 fraction than NADPH reductases. The reduction of AZQ by NAD(P)H (quinone-acceptor) oxidoreductase may play an important role in the bioreductive alkylating properties of AZQ.     

The metabolism of menadione (2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone) by isolated hepatocytes. A study of the implications of oxidative stress in intact cells

The cytotoxic effects of many quinones are thought to be mediated through their one-electron reduction to semiquinone radicals, which subsequently enter redox cycles with molecular oxygen to produce active oxygen species and oxidative stress. The two-electron reduction of quinones to diols, mediated by DT-diaphorase (NAD(P)H: (quinone-acceptor) oxidoreductase), may therefore represent a detoxifying pathway which protects the cell from the formation of these reactive intermediates. By using menadione (2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone) and isolated hepatocytes, the relative contribution of the two pathways to quinone metabolism has been studied and a protective role for DT-diaphorase demonstrated. Moreover, in the presence of cytotoxic concentrations of menadione rapid changes in intracellular thiol and Ca2+ homeostasis were observed. These were associated with alterations in the surface structure of the hepatocytes which may be an early indication of cytotoxicity.     

The role of glutathione in the retention of Ca2+ by liver mitochondria

Concentrations of rhein and nitrofurantoin in the micromolar range induce Ca2+ release and the development of increased inner membrane permeability in liver mitochondria. Both compounds inhibit the mitochondrial glutathione reductase causing a depletion of GSH and an accumulation of GSSG in energized mitochondria. Under these conditions, the compounds also alter the oxidation state of pyridine nucleotides, NADH becoming oxidized while NADPH remains reduced. Using rhein or nitrofurantoin, together with t-butyl-hydroperoxide and beta-hydroxybutyrate, it is possible to selectively alter the NAD/NADH, the NADP/NADPH, and the GSSG/GSH ratios and to determine the effect of these different states on the ability of Ca2+ to produce a permeable inner membrane. No correlation between pyridine nucleotide ratios and sensitivity to Ca2+ was observed. Mitochondria are stable to Ca2+ when the GSH content is high, but become permeable when Ca2+ is present and GSH is converted to GSSG. It is proposed that the GSSG/GSH ratio, by controlling the reduction state of critical sulfhydryl groups, regulates lysophospholipid acyltransferase activity and, therefore, the ability of mitochondria to remain impermeable upon activation of the intramitochondrial Ca2+ requiring phospholipase A2.     

Menadione-induced reactive oxygen species generation via redox cycling promotes apoptosis of murine pancreatic acinar cells

Oxidative stress may be an important determinant of the severity of acute pancreatitis. One-electron reduction of oxidants generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) via redox cycling, whereas two-electron detoxification, e.g. by NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase, does not. The actions of menadione on ROS production and cell fate were compared with those of a non-cycling analogue (2,4-dimethoxy-2-methylnaphthalene (DMN)) using real-time confocal microscopy of isolated perfused murine pancreatic acinar cells. Menadione generated ROS with a concomitant decrease of NAD(P)H, consistent with redox cycling. The elevation of ROS was prevented by the antioxidant N-acetyl-l-cysteine but not by the NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenyliodonium. DMN produced no change in reactive oxygen species per se but significantly potentiated menadione-induced effects, probably via enhancement of one-electron reduction, since DMN was found to inhibit NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase detoxification. Menadione caused apoptosis of pancreatic acinar cells that was significantly potentiated by DMN, whereas DMN alone had no effect. Furthermore, bile acid (taurolithocholic acid 3-sulfate)-induced caspase activation was also greatly increased by DMN, whereas DMN had no effect per se. These results suggest that acute generation of ROS by menadione occurs via redox cycling, the net effect of which is induction of apoptotic pancreatic acinar cell death. Two-electron detoxifying enzymes such as NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase, which are elevated in pancreatitis, may provide protection against excessive ROS and exert an important role in determining acinar cell fate.     

Menadione induces a low conductance state of the mitochondrial inner membrane sensitive to bongkrekic acid

When rat liver mitochondria are allowed to cycle Ca(2+) and are incubated in the presence of the pro-oxidant menadione, they undergo swelling, membrane potential (DeltaPsi) collapse, and ion release. These effects, which are inhibited by cyclosporin A (CsA), are fully consistent with the opening of the so-called permeability transition pore. However, when Ca(2+) cycling is abolished by EGTA, the mitochondria remain energized (DeltaPsi collapse and swelling are avoided), but Ca(2+) efflux, promoted by the chelating agent, is stimulated by menadione. This stimulation goes together with the release of Mg(2+), K(+), and adenine nucleotides (AdN) and is inhibited by bongkrekic acid (BKA). The effect of menadione is also characterized by biphasic NAD(P)H oxidation which becomes monophasic in the presence of BKA, CsA, or EGTA and by the oxidation of thiol groups not restrained by the above-mentioned inhibitors. These results suggest that BKA acts indirectly by preserving in the matrix a critical amount of AdN without modifying the monophasic oxidation of pyridine nucleotides by menadione. A critical number of thiol groups also seems to be involved in the phenomenon. Their oxidation most probably causes a conformational change on adenine nucleotide translocase with the opening of the "low-conductance state" of the mitochondrial permeability transition, resulting in ion permeability without DeltaPsi disruption and mitochondrial swelling.     

Oxidation of mitochondrial pyridine nucleotides by aglycone derivatives of adriamycin.

Adriamycin (AdM) and related anthracyclines are potent antineoplastic agents, the clinical utility of which is limited by severe cardiotoxicity. Aglycone derivatives of AdM have recently been reported to trigger the release of Ca2+ from isolated, preloaded rat heart mitochondria and to modify mitochondrial sulfhydryl (-SH) groups. Both mitochondrial Ca2+ retention and -SH status are sensitive to mitochondrial NAD(P)+/NAD(P)H ratios. This investigation examined the effects of AdM and its aglycone derivatives on the pyridine nucleotide redox status of isolated, intact heart mitochondria with the following results. (i) AdM aglycones induced the slow, Ca2(+)-independent oxidation of mitochondrial NAD(P)H. Oxidation was proportional to aglycone concentration between 5 and 60 microM. (ii) In terms of potency, 7-deoxy AdM aglycone greater than or equal to 7-hydroxy AdM aglycone much greater than AdM. (iii) Inhibitor data suggested that NAD(P)H oxidation reflects the rotenone-insensitive reduction of AdM aglycone and subsequent electron transfer to O2 generating superoxide. (iv) NAD(P)H oxidation mediated by AdM aglycone could be distinguished from the Ca2(+)-dependent NAD(P)H oxidation associated with mitochondrial Ca2+ release. This communication is the first to describe redox interactions of AdM with intact mitochondria.     

Characterization of FMN-dependent NADH-quinone reductase induced by menadione in Escherichia coli

It was found that when Escherichia coli is grown in the presence of 0.2-0.3 mM menadione (2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone), an FMN-dependent NADH-quinone reductase increases more than 20-fold in the cytoplasmic fraction. The menadione-induced quinone reductase was isolated from the cytoplasmic fraction of induced cells. The purified enzyme had an Mr of 24 kDa on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme required flavin as a cofactor and a half-maximum activity was obtained with 0.54 microM FMN or 16.5 microM FAD. The enzyme had a broad pH optimum at pH 7.0-8.0 and reacted with NADH, but not with NADPH. The reaction followed a ping-pong mechanism and the intrinsic Km values for NADH and menadione were estimated to be 132 microM and 2.0 microM, respectively. Dicoumarol was a simple competitive inhibitor with respect to NADH with a Ki value of 0.22 microM. The electron acceptor specificity of this enzyme was very similar to that of NAD(P)H: (quinone acceptor) oxidoreductase (EC 1.6.99.2, DT-diaphorase) from rat liver. Since menadione is reduced by the two-electron reduction pathway to menadiol, the induction of this enzyme is likely to be an adaptive response of E. coli to partially alleviate the toxicity of menadione.     

Mobilization of mitochondrial Ca2+ by hydroperoxy-eicosatetraenoic acid

Hydroperoxy-eicosatetraenoic acids (HPETEs) and less effectively, also hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs) stimulated Ca2+ release from rat liver mitochondria. Ca2+ release is accompanied by intramitochondrial pyridine nucleotide oxidation and hydrolysis. Both Ca2+ release and pyridine nucleotide oxidation are impeded when the flow of electrons between pyridine nucleotides and HPETE is impaired. Measurements of the mitochondrial membrane potential indicate that HPETE-stimulated Ca2+ release is not due to uncoupling of mitochondria. It is suggested that HPETEs and HETEs may act as mobilizers of mitochondrial Ca2+ during signal transduction related to proliferation and tumor promotion.     

Mechanism of alloxan-induced calcium release from rat liver mitochondria

The objective of the present work was to investigate the mechanism of alloxan-induced Ca2+ release from rat liver mitochondria. Transport of Ca2+, oxidation and hydrolysis of mitochondrial pyridine nucleotides, changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential, and oxygen consumption by mitochondria were investigated. Alloxan does not inhibit the uptake of Ca2+ but stimulates the release of Ca2+ from liver mitochondria, which is accompanied by oxidation and hydrolysis of pyridine nucleotides. Oxidation of mitochondrial pyridine nucleotides by alloxan is not mediated by glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase and may occur largely nonenzymatically. Measurements of the mitochondrial membrane potential in combination with inhibitors of Ca2+ reuptake indicate that Ca2+ release takes place from intact liver mitochondria via a distinct pathway. Limited redox cycling of alloxan by mitochondria is indicated by measurements of the membrane potential and O2 consumption in the presence of cyanide. It is concluded that alloxan can cause Ca2+ release from intact rat liver mitochondria. Redox cycling of alloxan is not significantly involved in the Ca2+ release mechanism. Oxidation and hydrolysis of pyridine nucleotides, possibly in conjunction with oxidation of critical sulfhydryl groups, seem to be key events in the alloxan-induced Ca2+ release. Disturbance of cellular Ca2+ homeostasis may partly explain alloxan toxicity.     

Effect of Ca2+, peroxides, SH reagents, phosphate and aging on the permeability of mitochondrial membranes

The mechanism by which a number of agents such as hydroperoxides, inorganic phosphate, azodicarboxylic acid bis(dimethylamide) (diamide), 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (menadione) and aging, induce Ca2+ release from rat liver mitochondria has been analyzed by following Ca2+ fluxes in parallel with K+ fluxes, matrix swelling and triphenylmethylphosphonium fluxes (as an index of transmembrane potential). Addition of hydroperoxides causes a cycle of Ca2+ efflux and reuptake and an almost parallel cycle of delta psi depression. The hydroperoxide-induced delta psi depression is biphasic. The first phase is rapid and insensitive to ATP and is presumably due to activation of the transhydrogenase reaction during the metabolization of the hydroperoxides. The second phase is slow and markedly inhibited by ATP and presumably linked to the activation of a Ca2+-dependent reaction. The slow phase of delta psi depression is paralleled by matrix K+ release and mitochondrial swelling. Nupercaine and ATP reduce or abolish also K+ release and swelling. Inorganic phosphate, diamide, menadione or aging also cause a process of Ca2+ efflux which is paralleled by a slow delta psi depression, K+ release and swelling. All these processes are reduced or abolished by Nupercaine and ATP. The slow delta psi depression following addition of hydroperoxide and diamide is largely reversible at low Ca2+ concentration but tends to become irreversible at high Ca2+ concentration. The delta psi depression increases with the increase of hydroperoxide, diamide and menadione concentration, but is irreversible only in the latter case. Addition of ruthenium red before the hydroperoxides reduces the extent of the slow but not of the rapid phase of delta psi depression. Addition of ruthenium red after the hydroperoxides results in a slow increase of delta psi. Such an effect differs from the rapid increase of delta psi due to ruthenium-red-induced inhibition of Ca2+ cycling in A23187-supplemented mitochondria. Metabolization of hydroperoxides and diamide is accompanied by a cycle of reversible pyridine nucleotide oxidation. Above certain hydroperoxide and diamide concentrations the pyridine nucleotide oxidation becomes irreversible. Addition of menadione results always in an irreversible nucleotide oxidation. The kinetic correlation between Ca2+ efflux and delta psi decline suggests that hydroperoxides, diamide, menadione, inorganic phosphate and aging cause, in the presence of Ca2+, an increase of the permeability for protons of the inner mitochondrial membrane. This is followed by Ca2+ efflux through a pathway which is not the H+/Ca2+ exchange.     

t-Butylhydroperoxide-induced Ca2+ efflux from liver mitochondria in the presence of physiological concentrations of Mg2+ and ATP

Isolated rat liver mitochondria, energized either by succinate oxidation or by ATP hydrolysis, present a transient increase in the rate of Ca2+ efflux concomitant to NAD(P)H oxidation by hydroperoxides when suspended in a medium containing 3 mM ATP, 4 mM Mg2+ and acetate as permeant anion. This is paralleled by an increase in the steady-state concentration of extramitochondrial Ca2+, a small decrease in delta psi and an increase in the rate of respiration and mitochondrial swelling. With the exception of mitochondrial swelling all other events were found to be reversible. If Ca2+ cycling was prevented by ruthenium red, the changes in delta psi, the rate of respiration and the extent of mitochondrial swelling were significantly diminished. In addition, there was no significant decrease in the content of mitochondrial pyridine nucleotides. Mitochondrial coupling was preserved after a cycle of Ca2+ release and re-uptake under these experimental conditions. It is concluded that hydroperoxide-induced Ca2+ efflux from intact mitochondria is related to the redox state of pyridine nucleotides.     

Oxidation of External NAD(P)H by Mitochondria from Taproots and Tissue Cultures of Sugar Beet (Beta vulgaris)

The present study compares the exogenous NAD(P)H oxidation and the membrane potential ([delta][psi]) generated in mitochondria isolated from different tissues of an important agricultural crop, sugar beet (Beta vulgaris}. We observed that mitochondria from taproots, cold-stored taproots, and in vitro-grown tissue cultures contain a functional NADH dehydrogenase, whereas only those isolated from tissue cultures displayed a functional NAD(P)H dehydrogenase. It is interesting that the NADH-dependent [delta][psi] of mitochondria from cold-stored taproots and from tissue cultures was not affected by free Ca2+ ions, whereas free Ca2+ was required for the mitochondrial NADPH oxidation by in vitro-grown cells and cytosolic NADH oxidation by mitochondria from fresh taproots. A tentative model accounting for the different response to Ca2+ ions of the NADH dehydrogenase in mitochondria from cold-stored taproots and tissue cultures of B. vulgaris is discussed.     

Naphthoquinone-dependent generation of superoxide radicals by quinone reductase isolated from the plasma membrane of soybean

Using a tetrazolium-based assay, a NAD(P)H oxidoreductase was purified from plasma membranes prepared from soybean (Glycine max) hypocotyls. The enzyme, a tetramer of 85 kD, produces O2(.-) by a reaction that depended on menadione or several other 1,4-naphthoquinones, in apparent agreement with a classification as a one-electron-transferring flavoenzyme producing semiquinone radicals. However, the enzyme displayed catalytic and molecular properties of obligatory two-electron-transferring quinone reductases of the DT-diaphorase type, including insensitivity to inhibition by diphenyleneiodonium. This apparent discrepancy was clarified by investigating the pH-dependent reactivity of menadionehydroquinone toward O2 and identifying the protein by mass spectrometry and immunological techniques. The enzyme turned out to be a classical NAD(P)H:quinone-acceptor oxidoreductase (EC 1.6.5.2, formerly 1.6.99.2) that reduces menadione to menadionehydroquinone and subsequently undergoes autoxidation at pH > or = 6.5. Autoxidation involves the production of the semiquinone as an intermediate, creating the conditions for one-electron reduction of O2. The possible function of this enzyme in the generation of O2(.-) and H2O2 at the plasma membrane of plants in vivo is discussed.     

Quantitative and mechanistic aspects of the hydroperoxide-induced release of Ca2+ from rat liver mitochondria

We have previously demonstrated in rat liver mitochondria a hydroperoxide-induced hydrolysis of pyridine nucleotides and release of Ca2+ [L?tscher, H. R., Winterhalter, K. H., Carafoli, E. & Richter, C. (1979) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 76, 4340-4344, and L?tscher, H. R., Winterhalter, K. H., Carafoli, E. & Richter, C. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 9325-9330]. Here we investigate pyridine nucleotide hydrolysis and Ca2+ release under conditions of minimized Ca2+ cycling and with smaller Ca2+ loads. The extent of pyridine nucleotide hydrolysis, measured by pyridine-nucleotide-derived nicotinamide release from intact mitochondria, and the Ca2+ release rate show a very similar sigmoidal dependence on the mitochondrial Ca2+ load. The hydrolysis of oxidized pyridine nucleotides is limited under non-cycling conditions. Whereas pyridine nucleotide hydrolysis as measured by nicotinamide release is extensive, net loss of mitochondrial pyridine nucleotides is observed only at relatively high Ca2+ loads. Our results indicate the ability of mitochondria to resynthesize pyridine nucleotides after hydrolysis. Neither a decrease of reduced, nor an increase of oxidized, mitochondrial glutathione favour Ca2+ release. From these and previous findings it is concluded that the hydroperoxide-induced Ca2+ release is triggered by a factor which is distal to the oxidation of mitochondrial pyridine nucleotides. Ca2+ release is stimulated when the movement of protons across the inner mitochondrial membrane is facilitated, giving evidence for the operation of the hydroperoxide-induced release pathway as a Ca2+/H+ antiport.     

Butylated hydroxytoluene prevents cumene hydroperoxide-induced Ca2+ release from liver mitochondria by inhibiting pyridine nucleotide hydrolysis.

The mechanism by which the free radical scavenger butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) prevents cumene hydroperoxide-induced Ca2+ release from rat liver mitochondria was studied. In Ca(2+)-loaded mitochondria cumene hydroperoxide induced a rapid oxidation and subsequent hydrolysis of the pyridine nucleotides. In the presence of BHT, pyridine nucleotide oxidation by cumene hydroperoxide occurred but was reversible as hydrolysis was prevented by BHT. However, the addition of BHT directly to rat liver submitochondrial particles did not inhibit NAD+ hydrolysis or the formation of ADP-ribose from NAD+. Thus, whilst BHT prevented NAD+ hydrolysis in isolated mitochondria, this appeared not to be due to a direct effect of BHT on the NADase. It is concluded that the mechanism of action of BHT on cumene hydroperoxide-induced Ca2+ release from mitochondria involves the inhibition of pyridine nucleotide hydrolysis by an indirect mechanism rather than the radical scavenging properties of BHT.     

Effect of calcium ions and inhibitors on internal NAD(P)H dehydrogenases in plant mitochondria.

Both the external oxidation of NADH and NADPH in intact potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Bintje) tuber mitochondria and the rotenone-insensitive internal oxidation of NADPH by inside-out submitochondrial particles were dependent on Ca2+. The stimulation was not due to increased permeability of the inner mitochondrial membrane. Neither the membrane potential nor the latencies of NAD(+)-dependent and NADP(+)-dependent malate dehydrogenases were affected by the addition of Ca2+. The pH dependence and kinetics of Ca(2+)-dependent NADPH oxidation by inside-out submitochondrial particles were studied using three different electron acceptors: O2, duroquinone and ferricyanide. Ca2+ increased the activity with all acceptors with a maximum at neutral pH and an additional minor peak at pH 5.8 with O2 and duroquinone. Without Ca2+, the activity was maximal around pH 6. The Km for NADPH was decreased fourfold with ferricyanide and duroquinone, and twofold with O2 as acceptor, upon addition of Ca2+. The Vmax was not changed with ferricyanide as acceptor, but increased twofold with both duroquinone and O2. Half-maximal stimulation of the NADPH oxidation was found at 3 microM free Ca2+ with both O2 and duroquinone as acceptors. This is the first report of a membrane-bound enzyme inside the inner mitochondrial membrane which is directly dependent on micromolar concentrations of Ca2+. Mersalyl and dicumarol, two potent inhibitors of the external NADH dehydrogenase in plant mitochondria, were found to inhibit internal rotenone-insensitive NAD(P)H oxidation, at the same concentrations and in manners very similar to their effects on the external NAD(P)H oxidation.     

Ca2+ and Mg2+-enhanced reduction of arsenazo III to its anion free radical metabolite and generation of superoxide anion by an outer mitochondrial membrane azoreductase

At the concentrations usually employed as a Ca2+ indicator, arsenazo III underwent a one-electron reduction by rat liver mitochondria to produce an azo anion radical as demonstrated by electron-spin resonance spectroscopy. Either NADH or NADPH could serve as a source of reducing equivalents for the production of this free radical by intact rat liver mitochondria. Under aerobic conditions, addition of arsenazo III to rat liver mitochondria produced an increase in electron flow from NAD(P)H to molecular oxygen, generating superoxide anion. NAD(P)H generated from endogenous mitochondrial NAD(P)+ by intramitochondrial reactions could not be used for the NAD(P)H azoreductase reaction unless the mitochondria were solubilized by detergent or anaerobiosis. In addition, NAD(P)H azoreductase activity was higher in the crude outer mitochondrial membrane fraction than in mitoplasts and intact mitochondria. The steady-state concentration of the azo anion radical and the arsenazo III-stimulated cyanide-insensitive oxygen consumption were enhanced by calcium and magnesium, suggesting that, in addition to an enhanced azo anion radical-stabilization by complexation with the metal ions, enhanced reduction of arsenazo III also occurred. Accordingly, addition of cations to crude outer mitochondrial membrane preparations increased arsenazo III-stimulated cyanide-insensitive O2 consumption, H2O2 formation, and NAD(P)H oxidation. Antipyrylazo III was much less effective than arsenazo III in increasing superoxide anion formation by rat liver mitochondria and gave a much weaker electron spin resonance spectrum of an azo anion radical. These results provide direct evidence of an azoreductase activity associated with the outer mitochondrial membrane and of a stimulation of arsenazo III reduction by cations.