title: Age-related changes in glutathione and lipid peroxide content in mouse synaptic mitochondria: relationship to cytochrome c oxidase decline.
abstract: To elucidate the contribution of lipid peroxides and glutathione to brain aging, we have carried out a comparative study of their contents in synaptic mitochondria from young (10-week-old), adult (24-week-old), and senescent (72-week-old) mice. In synaptic mitochondria, there is a significant decline in lipid peroxide content (P < 0.01) and cytochrome c oxidase activity (P < 0.001) in senescent as compared to adult and young mice. By contrast, glutathione concentration showed an increase in senescent (P < 0.05) in comparison to the other age groups. Moreover, there was a significant inverse correlation between age and lipid peroxide content (r = -0.5, P < 0.001) or cytochrome c oxidase-specific activity (r = -0.58, P < 0.001). We suggest that this age-dependent decrease in lipid peroxide content in synaptic mitochondria may be the result of an age-related decline in the activity of the electron transport chain, with concomitant decrease in oxyradical production, in the senescent organelles.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Ferrándiz
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Juan
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miquel
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism*; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009411:Nerve Endings / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013569:Synapses / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV; D005978:Glutathione