Mechanisms of lipid peroxide formation in animal tissues.

1. Homogenates of rat liver, spleen, heart and kidney form lipid peroxides when incubated in vitro and actively catalyse peroxide formation in emulsions of linoleic acid or linolenic acid. 2. In liver, catalytic activity is distributed throughout the nuclear, mitochondrial and microsomal fractions and is present in the 100000g supernatant. Activity is weak in the nuclear fraction. 3. Dilute (0.5%, w/v) homogenates catalyse peroxidation over the range pH5.0-8.0 but concentrated (5%, w/v) homogenates inhibit peroxidation and destroy peroxide if the solution is more alkaline than pH7.0. 4. Ascorbic acid increases the rate of peroxidation of unsaturated fatty acids catalysed by whole homogenates of liver, heart, kidney and spleen at pH6.0 but not at pH7.4. 5. Catalysis of peroxidation of unsaturated fatty acids by the mitochondrial and microsomal fractions of liver is inhibited by ascorbic acid at pH7.4 but the activity of the supernatant fraction is enhanced. 6. Inorganic iron or ferritin are active catalysts in the presence of ascorbic acid. 7. Lipid peroxide formation in linoleic acid or linolenic acid emulsions catalysed by tissue homogenates is partially inhibited by EDTA but stimulated by o-phenanthroline. 8. Cysteine or glutathione (1mm) inhibits peroxide formation catalysed by whole homogenates, mitochondria or haemoprotein. Inhibition increases with increase of pH.