title: Mitochondrial respiratory chain features after gamma-irradiation.
abstract: Radiation provokes damage to DNA but also to membrane and protein structure. Radiolysis is a tool used very often in the study of free radical biological effects and of scavenger molecules effectiveness. Nitroimidazoles have been demonstrated to enhance the radiation effects on biological structures. The studies we have performed on isolated mitochondria irradiated, with and without nitroimidazoles, at a radiation dose equal to LD90, indicate that this treatment is not able to affect the structural and functional features investigated (ubiquinone-10, fatty acids, respiratory cytochrome levels or membrane fluidity and respiratory enzymatic activities), suggesting that an involvement of such externally produced radicals on membrane damage is unlikely. Moreover it was ascertained that the mitochondrial redox activities do not take part into the intracellular nitroimidazole reduction.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry, University of Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Battino
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferri
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gattavecchia
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Breccia
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Genova
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Littarru
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lenaz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004579:Electron Transport / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D017341:Etanidazole / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000528:radiation effects; D005720:Gamma Rays / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008920:Misonidazole / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000528:radiation effects; D008929:Mitochondria, Heart / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D009593:Nitroimidazoles / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000528:radiation effects; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D013385:Succinate Dehydrogenase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000528:radiation effects; D014451:Ubiquinone / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects
chemical_list: D009593:Nitroimidazoles; D014451:Ubiquinone; D017341:Etanidazole; D008920:Misonidazole; D013385:Succinate Dehydrogenase