Effect of ascorbate on phospholipids during mitochondrial swelling and lysis

Abstract

Ascorbate induced swelling and lysis of rat liver mitochondria causes a progressive decrease in phosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidyl choline. The decrease of both these phospholipids is parallel to the usual optical density curve obtained during swelling experiments. Experiments were carried out with mitochondria labeled with P32 prior to incubation with acorbate. Phospholipids were extracted and after chromatography autoradiograms were prepared. These data confirmed the breakdown effect of ascorbate on phos­pholipids.