t-Butyl-hydroperoxide bioactivation to methyl radical in rat liver mitochondria and submitochondrial particles

Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) coupled to the spin trapping technique was used to detect carbon-centered radicals in rat liver mitochondria and submitochondrial particles exposed to t-butyl-hydroperoxide (TBH), using the spin trapping agent 3,5-dibromo-4-nitroso-benzenesulfonic acid (DBNBS). The signal recorded was unambiguously assigned to the methyl radical adduct. DBNBS was added to isolated rat liver mitochondria energized with succinate, and the methyl radical adduct was observed. The addition of NADH, NADPH, inhibitors of the respiratory chain, and of monoaminoxidase (MAO) inhibitors did not cause any relevant modification in the yield of radical adduct formation. Boiling and the addition of a non-ionic detergent inhibited the formation of the radical adduct, while experiments carried out under hypoxic conditions generated a significant increase in methyl radical formation. Further experiments were carried out on sub-mitochondrial particles (SMP) giving rise to, basically, the same results. From the above results, we are proposing that haem prosthetic groups are the likely source of TBH bioactivation in mitochondria.