Respiratory-chain enzyme activities in isolated mitochondria of lymphocytes from patients with Parkinson's disease: preliminary study.
BACKGROUND
Evidence suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction stimulates the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that promote neural cell death in stroke and in Parkinson's disease. The sites of mitochondrial ROS production are not established but are generally believed to be located within the electron transport chain.


OBJECTIVE
We studied the mitochondrial respiratory chain enzymes function from human circulating lymphocytes.


METHODS
Open study.


METHODS
Forty patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) with 30 age-matched control subjects were selected in this study. The patients had received no treatment before the study was conducted.


METHODS
The data from patients and controls were compared using two-tailed student's t-test and values were expressed as means +/- standard deviation (SD).


RESULTS
Respiratory complex I + III and IV activities were significantly lower (P < 0.001) in patients than in control subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
The use of lymphocytes for investigating the respiratory chain enzymes provides an easy, noninvasive method to assess mitochondrial function in patients with PD. Furthermore, our study supports the hypothesis that a biochemical defect in the respiratory chain may be involved in the pathogenesis of PD.
Shinde
Santosh
S
Department of Biochemistry, L.T.M.M.C and L.T.M.G.H, Mumbai - 400 025, India. santoshshinde2005@yahoo.com
Pasupathy
K
K
D004579:Electron Transport / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000201:enzymology*; D010085:Oxidative Phosphorylation; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000201:enzymology*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species