Baccharis dracunculifolia DC (Asteraceae) is the main botanical source used by honeybees to produce Brazilian green propolis whose hepatoprotective properties have been already described. In this work we investigated the protective effects of the glycolic extract of B. dracunculifolia (GEBd) against oxidative stress in isolated rat liver mitochondria (RLM). The GEBd was prepared by fractionated percolation using propylene glycol as solvent. The total phenols and flavonoids, which are substances with recognized antioxidant action, were quantified in GEBd and the phytochemical analysis was carried out by HPLC. GEBd exhibited significant scavenger activity towards DPPH radicals and superoxide anions in a concentration-dependent manner, and also a Fe2+ chelating activity. GEBd decreased the basal H2O2 generation and the Fe2+- or t-BuOOH-induced ROS production in isolated mitochondria. Lipid oxidation of mitochondrial membranes, protein thiol groups and GSH oxidation were also prevented by GEBd. This shows that B. dracunculifolia exhibit potent antioxidant activity protecting liver mitochondria against oxidative damage and such action probably contribute to the antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of green propolis.

This work is a systematic study, showing a clear correlation between the nature of the lipid acyl chain and the spin states of cytochrome c interacting with different types of lipid membranes. According to the lipid acyl chain type, and the head group charge present in the bilayer, three spin states of cytochrome c were observed in different proportions: the native cytochrome c low spin state with rhombic symmetry (spin 1/2, g axially=3.07 and g radially=2.23), a low spin state with less rhombic symmetry (spin 1/2, g(1)=2.902, g(2)=2.225, and g(3)=1.510) and the high spin state (spin 5/2, g axially=6.0 and g radially=2.0). The proportion of the spin states of cytochrome c bound to bilayers was also dependent on the lipid/protein ratio, suggesting the existence of two or more protein sites interacting with the lipids. The lipid-induced alterations in the symmetry and spin states of cytochrome c exhibited partial reversibility when the ionic strength was increased, which reinforces the crucial role played by the electrostatic interaction with the lipid bilayer. Different cytochrome c spin states exhibited corresponding modifications in the haemprotein UV/visible spectra, particularly in the Q-band associated with loss of the 695 nm band and appearance of a band in the region of 600-650 nm. The observed reactivity of cytochrome c with oxidized forms of unsaturated lipids reinforces the possibility of the acyl chain insertion in the haemprotein structure.

Cytochrome c exhibits two positively charged sites: site A containing lysine residues with high pKa values and site L containing ionizable groups with pKaobs values around 7.0. This protein feature implies that cytochrome c can participate in the fusion of mitochondria and have its detachment from the inner membrane regulated by cell acidosis and alkalosis. In this study, we demonstrated that both horse and tuna cytochrome c exhibited two types of binding to inner mitochondrial membranes that contributed to respiration: a high-affinity and low-efficiency pH-independent binding (microscopic dissociation constant Ksapp2, approximately 10 nM) and a low-affinity and high-efficiency pH-dependent binding that for horse cytochrome c had a pKa of approximately 6.7. For tuna cytochrome c (Lys22 and His33 replaced with Asn and Trp, respectively), the effect of pH on Ksapp1 was less striking than for the horse heme protein, and both tuna and horse cytochrome c had closed Ksapp1 values at pH 7.2 and 6.2, respectively. Recombinant mutated cytochrome c H26N and H33N also restored the respiration of the cytochrome c-depleted mitoplast in a pH-dependent manner. Consistently, the detachment of cytochrome c from nondepleted mitoplasts was favored by alkalinization, suggesting that site L ionization influences the participation of cytochrome c in the respiratory chain and apoptosis.

In this communication, we show that the plant uncoupling mitochondrial protein (PUMP) present in potato tuber mitochondria is induced by aging at 28³C and that this induction is strongly stimulated when the potato tubers are stored at low temperature (4³C). PUMP activity was detected by the degree of linoleic acid (LA)-induced ATP-sensitive mitochondrial uncoupling measured as a function of the decrease in membrane potential (v v8 8). The PUMP content was evaluated by immunoblot analysis using polyclonal antibodies raised against potato PUMP that specifically detected a 32 kDa band. In agreement with the effect of LA on v v8 8, the content of the 32 kDa band increased during storage and was stimulated by low temperature. These results support the proposed role of PUMP in plant thermogenesis and possibly in fruit ripening and senescence.z 1999 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

Permeabilization of the mitochondrial membrane has been extensively associated with necrotic and apoptotic cell death. Similarly to what had been previously observed for B16F10-Nex2 murine melanoma cells, PdC (palladacycle compounds) obtained from the reaction of dmpa (N,N-dimethyl-1-phenethylamine) with the dppe [1,2-ethanebis(diphenylphosphine)] were able to induce apoptosis in HTC (hepatoma, tissue culture) cells, presenting anticancer activity in vitro. To elucidate cell site-specific actions of dmpa:dppe that could respond to the induction of apoptosis in cancer cells in the present study, we investigated the effects of PdC on isolated RLM (rat liver mitochondria). Our results showed that these palladacycles are able to induce a Ca2+-independent mitochondrial swelling that was not inhibited by ADP, Mg2+ and antioxidants. However, the PdC-induced mitochondrial permeabilization was partially prevented by pre-incubation with CsA (cyclosporin A), NEM (N-ethylmaleimide) and bongkreic acid and totally prevented by DTT (dithiothreitol). A decrease in the content of reduced thiol groups of the mitochondrial membrane proteins was also observed, as well as the presence of membrane protein aggregates in SDS/PAGE without lipid and GSH oxidation. FTIR (Fourier-transform IR) analysis of PdC-treated RLM demonstrated the formation of disulfide bonds between critical thiols in mitochondrial membrane proteins. Associated with the mitochondrial permeabilization, PdC also induced the release of cytochrome c, which is sensitive to inhibition by DTT. Besides the contribution to clarify the pro-apoptotic mechanism of PdC, this study shows that the catalysis of specific protein thiol cross-linkage is enough to induce mitochondrial permeabilization and cytochrome c release.