title: Age and sex-related changes in rat brain mitochondrial function.
abstract: Aging is responsible for the decline in the function of mitochondria and their increase in size and number--adaptive mechanism to restore mitochondrial function. Estrogens increase mitochondrial function, especially in female rats. The aim of this study was to determine the age-related changes in rat brain mitochondrial function focusing on sex differences. Cellular and mitochondrial protein and DNA content, mitochondrial oxidative and phosphorylative function in male and female rat brain from four different age groups (6, 12, 18 and 24 months old) were analyzed. Mitochondria protein/DNA content decreased with aging shifting toward lesser mitochondrial functional capacity and the mitochondria number increased. A sex dimorphism was determined, with female rat brain showing mitochondria with greater functional capacity than males. These sex differences gradually increased during aging.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Metabolismo Energético y Nutrición, Departamento de Biología Fundamental y Ciencias de la Salud, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de Mallorca, Spain. jordi.oliver@uib.es
authors.forename: Rocío
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guevara
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gianotti
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roca
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oliver
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010766:Phosphorylation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase