Inhibition and inactivation of NADH-cytochrome c reductase activity of bovine heart submitochondrial particles by the iron(III)-adriamycin complex.

The NADH-cytochrome c reductase activity of bovine heart submitochondrial particles was found to be slowly (half-time of 16 min) and progressively lost upon incubation with the Fe2(+)-adriamycin complex. In addition to this slow progressive inactivation seen on incubation, a reversible fast phase of inhibition was also seen. However, if EDTA was added to the incubation mixture within 15 s, the slow progressive loss in activity was largely preventable. Separate experiments indicated that EDTA removed about one-half of the iron from the Fe2(+)-adriamycin complex in about 40 s. These results indicated the requirement for iron for the inactivation process. Since the Vmax. for the fast phase of inhibition was decreased by the inhibitor, the inhibition pattern was similar to that seen for uncompetitive or mixed-type inhibition. The direct binding of both Fe3(+)-adriamycin and adriamycin to submitochondrial particles was also demonstrated, with the Fe3(+)-adriamycin complex binding 8 times more strongly than adriamycin. Thus binding of Fe3(+)-adriamycin to the enzyme or to the inner mitochondrial membrane with subsequent generation of oxy radicals in situ is a possible mechanism for the Fe3(+)-adriamycin-induced inactivation of respiratory enzyme activity.