title: Catalase takes part in rat liver mitochondria oxidative stress defense.
abstract: Highly purified rat liver mitochondria (RLM) when exposed to tert-butylhydroperoxide undergo matrix swelling, membrane potential collapse, and oxidation of glutathione and pyridine nucleotides, all events attributable to the induction of mitochondrial permeability transition. Instead, RLM, if treated with the same or higher amounts of H2O2 or tyramine, are insensitive or only partially sensitive, respectively, to mitochondrial permeability transition. In addition, the block of respiration by antimycin A added to RLM respiring in state 4 conditions, or the addition of H2O2, results in O2 generation, which is blocked by the catalase inhibitors aminotriazole or KCN. In this regard, H2O2 decomposition yields molecular oxygen in a 2:1 stoichiometry, consistent with a catalytic mechanism with a rate constant of 0.0346 s(-1). The rate of H2O2 consumption is not influenced by respiratory substrates, succinate or glutamate-malate, nor by N-ethylmaleimide, suggesting that cytochrome c oxidase and the glutathione-glutathione peroxidase system are not significantly involved in this process. Instead, H2O2 consumption is considerably inhibited by KCN or aminotriazole, indicating activity by a hemoprotein. All these observations are compatible with the presence of endogenous heme-containing catalase with an activity of 825 +/- 15 units, which contributes to mitochondrial protection against endogenous or exogenous H2O2. Mitochondrial catalase in liver most probably represents regulatory control of bioenergetic metabolism, but it may also be proposed for new therapeutic strategies against liver diseases. The constitutive presence of catalase inside mitochondria is demonstrated by several methodological approaches as follows: biochemical fractionating, proteinase K sensitivity, and immunogold electron microscopy on isolated RLM and whole rat liver tissue.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica Biologica, Università di Padova, Viale G. Colombo 3, 35121 Padova.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salvi
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Battaglia
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Brunati
authors.forename: Nicoletta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: La Rocca
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tibaldi
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pietrangeli
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marcocci
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mondovì
authors.forename: Carlo A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toninello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002374:Catalase / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008930:Mitochondria, Liver / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D010539:Permeability; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D002374:Catalase; D010100:Oxygen