Depletion of glutathione does not affect electron transport chain complex activities in brain mitochondria: Implications for Parkinsons's disease and postmortem studies
Citation:
Simon J.R. Heales, Adrian Menzes, Gavin P. Davey, Depletion of glutathione does not affect electron transport chain complex activities in brain mitochondria: Implications for Parkinsons's disease and postmortem studies, Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 50, 7, 2011, 899-902Download Item:
Abstract:
Glutathione is an important antioxidant in the brain that appears to be decreased, in
conjunction with mitochondrial complex I activity, in Parkinson?s disease patients. In
postmortem analysis, measurement of glutathione levels and complex I activity can
be delayed up to 20 h. We investigated if depletion of glutathione in the pre-weanling
rat induces a reduction in complex I activity in brain mitochondria and the effect that
postmortem delay has on glutathione levels and electron transport chain activities.
Following injection with the gamma-glutamyl cysteine ligase inhibitor, buthionine
sulfoximine (L-BSO), glutathione levels were decreased by 53% compared to the
control values in whole brain homogenates. During postmortem delay of 24 hours, in
which animals were kept at 4?C, levels of glutathione decreased in the control group
by 58% and in the L-BSO treated group by 79%. However, during this period, there
were no changes in mitochondrial electron transport chain complex I, II-III and IV
activities in either group. These results suggest that a pre-existing deficiency of
glutathione or a loss of glutathione during postmortem delay does not influence
mitochondrial respiratory chain activities in the brain.
Sponsor
Grant Number
European Commission
MTKD-CT-2005-030005
Author's Homepage:
http://people.tcd.ie/sllwrghthttp://people.tcd.ie/gdavey
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PUBLISHED
Author: DAVEY, GAVIN
Type of material:
Journal ArticleCollections
Series/Report no:
Free Radical Biology and Medicine50
7
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Full text availableKeywords:
Neuroscience, Parkinson?s diseaseSubject (TCD):
NeuroscienceMetadata
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