Impairment of the respiratory chain in the b-c1 region as early functional event during Fe2+/ascorbate induced peroxidation in rat liver mitochondria

Abstract

An attack at the level of the respiratory chain was established as the reason for the early inhibition of oxygen uptake during Fe2+/ascorbate induced peroxidation by following the activities of complexes I-IV separately. The close correlation between the decline of mitochondrial respiration and the activity of complex III strongly suggests that an impairment of the respiratory chain in the b-c1 region represents one of the first functional events in the causal sequence of peroxidative reactions preceding the phase of massive malondialdehyde production.