Skip Navigation
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Use this QR code to view the newest version of this document
Use this QR code to view the newest version of this document

Your Environment. Your Health.

Publication Detail

Title: Mercury-induced H2O2 production and lipid peroxidation in vitro in rat kidney mitochondria.

Authors: Lund, B O; Miller, D M; Woods, J S

Published In Biochem Pharmacol, (1991 Dec 11)

Abstract: Mercuric ion (Hg(II)) causes oxidative tissue damage in kidney cortical cells. We studied the in vitro effects of Hg(II) on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production by rat kidney mitochondria, a principal intracellular target of Hg(II). In mitochondria supplemented with a respiratory chain substrate (succinate or malate/glutamate) and an electron transport inhibitor (antimycin A (AA) or rotenone), Hg(II) (30 nmol/mg protein) increased H2O2 formation approximately 4-fold at the ubiquinone-cytochrome b region (AA-inhibited) and 2-fold at the NADH dehydrogenase region (rotenone-inhibited). Concomitantly, Hg(II) increased iron-dependent lipid peroxidation 3.5-fold at the NADH dehydrogenase region, but only by 25% at the ubiquinone-cytochrome b region. The mitochondrial concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH) decreased both with incubation time and Hg(II) concentration. Hg(II), at a concentration of 12 nmol/mg protein, caused almost complete depletion of measurable GSH in substrate-supplemented mitochondria after a 30-min incubation. In electron transport-inhibited mitochondria, Hg(II) caused greater depletion of GSH in rotenone-inhibited than in AA-inhibited mitochondria, consistent with the effects of Hg(II) on lipid peroxidation. These results suggest that Hg(II) at low concentrations depletes mitochondrial GSH and enhances H2O2 formation in kidney mitochondria under conditions of impaired respiratory chain electron transport. The increased H2O2 formation by Hg(II) may lead to oxidative tissue damage, such as lipid peroxidation, observed in mercury-induced nephrotoxicity.

PubMed ID: 1768276 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Animals; Electron Transport; Glutathione/analysis; Hydrogen Peroxide/metabolism*; Kidney/drug effects*; Kidney/metabolism; Lipid Peroxidation/drug effects*; Male; Mercuric Chloride/toxicity*; Mitochondria/drug effects; Mitochondria/metabolism; Oxygen Consumption; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains

Back
to Top