State Key Laboratory of Virology, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Biology and Medicine-Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China.
J Membr Biol. 2011 Dec;244(3):105-12. doi: 10.1007/s00232-011-9403-5. Epub 2011 Nov 2.
Zinc is one of the required trace elements in animals, and it serves an important role in biological systems. However, high levels of zinc are poisonous to organisms. So far, there exist conflicting reports about zinc ions-induced mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT). We analyzed the effects of Zn²⁺ on MPT by monitoring mitochondrial swelling with the ultraviolet-visible light absorption spectrum, characterizing the fluidity of the membrane with fluorescence anisotropy, detecting the transmembrane potential (Δψ) with fluorescence intensity, and observing mitochondrial ultrastructure with transmission electron microscopy. Data reveal that low concentrations of zinc ions can trigger MPT while high levels of zinc ions cannot, which implies that zinc ions' toxicity cannot be the result of a single simple mechanism.
锌是动物所需的微量元素之一，在生物系统中起着重要作用。然而，高浓度的锌对生物体是有毒的。到目前为止，关于锌离子诱导的线粒体通透性转变（MPT）存在相互矛盾的报道。我们通过紫外-可见吸收光谱监测线粒体肿胀、荧光各向异性表征膜的流动性、荧光强度检测跨膜电位（Δψ）以及透射电子显微镜观察线粒体超微结构来分析锌离子对 MPT 的影响。数据表明，低浓度的锌离子可以引发 MPT，而高浓度的锌离子则不能，这意味着锌离子的毒性不能归因于单一简单的机制。
