Synergism between cytosolic and mitochondrial oxidation: its possible relevance to the metabolism of vitamin D3 in the kidney.

Using frozen liver sections and quantitative cytochemistry it has been established that when cells are allowed to oxidize a cytoplasmic and a mitochondrial substrate simultaneously the resulting oxidative activity is markedly higher than the sum of the oxidation of each substrate measured separately. In the present study this type of synergistic interaction has been confirmed in the kidney, particularly in cells of the pars recta. Our results support the evidence of the influence of cytoplasmic NADPH on the intramitochondrial oxidative process and it is suggested that, in cells of the pars recta, cytosolic NADPH may be involved in intramitochondrial mixed function oxidases such as 1 alpha-hydroxylase: these results could further elucidate the mechanism responsible for the production of the hormonal form of vitamin D3.