title: Effect of oxodipine on calcium transport in isolated hepatocytes and rat liver mitochondria at different ages.
abstract: Electron microscopy and biochemical studies were carried out in hepatocytes and mitochondria isolated from livers of young (3-6 month) and old (20-24 month) rats to know under which conditions oxodipine, a calcium antagonist, affects calcium metabolism, the mitochondrial morphology and the differences due to the animals age. Under steady-state conditions, calcium transport through the membrane of isolated hepatocytes was not affected by the presence of the drug in either group of animals studied. By contrast, a clear age-dependent inhibitory effect on the uptake and accumulation of calcium was observed in mitochondria. In the young animals, evidence was observed for a complex mechanism related to cellular respiration and to a possible specific action of the drug. In older animals, this second mechanism appears to be very weak or inexistent. Quantitative morphological studies also point to a deterioration in the mitochondria due to the effect of the drug at the concentrations at which cellular respiration was affected.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Roncero
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Buron
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: de la Cruz