The uncoupling effect of flavoglaucin, a quinol pigment from Aspergillus chevalieri (Mangin), on mitochondrial respiration.

The effects of flavoglaucin from Aspergillus chevalieri (Mangin) Thom et Church on mitochondrial reactions have been investigated to obtain insight into the mode of actions on biomembranes by means of isolated rat liver mitochondria. It was found that flavoglaucin exhibited a strong uncoupling effect on oxidative phosphorylation, enhanced the latent ATPase activity, and elicited a drastic swelling of mitochondria. These reactions led to the exhaustion of ATP in cells, which may be, in part, responsible for its cytotoxicity. Flavoglaucin was toxic to isolated rat hepatocytes causing a karyoklasis, but did not show genotoxicity in hepatocyte primary culture (HPC)/DNA repair test.