Dodecyltriphenylphosphonium As an Inducer of Potassium-Dependent Permeability in Rat Liver Mitochondria

Dodecyltriphenylphosphonium (C12TPP) is a membrane-bound penetrating cation with a delocalized charge widely used for creating and delivering of antioxidants, spin traps, and other chemical probes into mitochondria. The ability of C12TPP to induce permeabilization of the inner membrane of rat liver mitochondria at micromolar concentrations was investigated. It was found that C12TPP in a dose-dependent manner (10–30 µM) caused swelling of rat liver mitochondria in the incubation medium, the osmolarity of which was maintained with KCl. At the same time, C12TPP induced the reduction of the volume of rat liver mitochondria in the isotonic sucrose medium. It was shown that mitochondrial swelling induced by C12TPP was not inhibited by cyclosporin A, but it was suppressed by glibenclamide and ATP, the inhibitors of the ATP-sensitive potassium channel. It was also found that the C12TPP-induced mitochondrial swelling was inhibited by free saturated fatty acids. In turn, C12TPP prevented mitochondrial swelling induced by palmitic acid and Ca2+, which was insensitive to cyclosporin A. A possible mechanism of the C12TPP-induced permeabilization of the inner mitochondrial membrane is discussed.