Membranotropic effects of ω-hydroxypalmitic acid and Ca2+ on rat liver mitochondria and lecithin liposomes. Aggregation and membrane permeabilization.

The paper examines membranotropic Ca2+-dependent effects of ω-hydroxypalmitic acid (HPA), a product of ω-oxidation of fatty acids, on the isolated rat liver mitochondria and artificial membrane systems (liposomes). It was established that in the presence of Ca2+, HPA induced aggregation of liver mitochondria, which was accompanied by the release of cytochrome c from the organelles. It was further demonstrated that the addition of Ca2+ to HPA-containing liposomes induced their aggregation and/or fusion. Ca2+ also caused the release of the fluorescent dye sulforhodamine B from liposomes, indicating their permeabilization. HPA was shown to induce a high-amplitude swelling of Ca2+-loaded mitochondria, to decrease their membrane potential, to induce the release of Ca2+ from the organelles and to result in the oxidation of the mitochondrial NAD(P)H pool. Those effects of HPA were not blocked by the MPT pore inhibitor CsA, but were suppressed by the mitochondrial calcium uniporter inhibitor ruthenium red. The effects of HPA were also observed when Ca2+ was replaced with Sr2+ (but not with Ba2+ or Mg2+). A supposition is made that HPA can induce a Ca2+-dependent aggregation of mitochondria, as well as Ca2+dependent CsA-insensitive permeabilization of the inner mitochondrial membrane - with the subsequent lysis of the organelles.