Effects of kaempferol on the oxidative properties of intact plant mitochondria.

The effects of kaempferol on the oxidative and phosphorylative properties of plant mitochondria from potato tubers and etiolated mung bean (Phaseolus aureus Roxb.) hypocotyls were investigated. Kaempferol inhibited the state 3 oxidation rate of malate, NADH, and succinate, but was without effect on the ascorbate-tetramethyl p-phenylenediamine oxidation rate. The inhibition was almost the same whether the mitochondria were in state 3 or in an uncoupled state 3. When 180 micromolar kaempferol was added during state 4, the tight coupling of succinate or NADH oxidation was not released. The results obtained indicate that kaempferol inhibits the mitochondrial electron flow at, or just after, the flavoprotein site.