Inhibition of phosphate transport in rat heart mitochondria by 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine due to stimulation of superoxide anion mitochondrial production.

In order to gain some insight into the mechanism by which 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT) damages mitochondria, we investigated whether externally added AZT can stimulate reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by rat heart mitochondria (RHM). An increase in superoxide anion ((O(2)(.-)) production was measured in RHM added with AZT, by using a photometrically method which allows an early O(2)(.-) detection by following the absorbance increase at 550 nm due to the ferricytochrome c reduction. Such an increase was found to be prevented from externally added superoxide dismutase. The stimulation of O(2)(.-) mitochondrial production induced by AZT was found to occur under conditions in which mitochondrial oxygen consumption was prevented by both inhibitors of electron flow and ATP synthesis. Since ROS can cause mitochondrial carrier impairment, we investigated whether AZT can affect mitochondrial permeability in virtue of its capability to stimulate ROS production. In this regard, we studied the transport of phosphate (P(i)), by measuring the mitochondrial shrinkage that takes place as a result of P(i) uptake by RHM previously swollen in a calcium acetate medium. As a result of the AZT-dependent O(2)(.-) production, uncompetitive inhibition of the rate of P(i) transport in RHM was found (K(i) of about 10 microM), consistently, such an inhibition was found to prevent by certain known ROS scavengers, i.e. superoxide dismutase, the antioxidant Vitamin C and reduced gluthatione.