Abstract
Measuring mitochondrial respiration in brain tissue is very critical in understanding the physiology and pathology of the central nervous system. Particularly, measurement of respiration in isolated mitochondria provides the advantage over the whole cells or tissues as the changes in respiratory function are intrinsic to mitochondrial structures rather than the cellular signaling that regulates mitochondria. Moreover, a high-throughput technique for measuring mitochondrial respiration minimizes the experimental time and the sample-to-sample variation. Here, we provide a detailed protocol for measuring respiration in isolated brain non-synaptosomal mitochondria using Agilent Seahorse XFe24 Analyzer. We optimized the protocol for the amount of mitochondria and concentrations of ADP, oligomycin, and trifluoromethoxy carbonylcyanide phenylhydrazone (FCCP) for measuring respiratory parameters for complex I-mediated respiration. In addition, we measured complex II-mediated respiratory parameters. We observed that 10 µg of mitochondrial protein per well, ADP concentrations ranging between 2.5 and 10 mmol/L along with 5 µmol/L of oligomycin, and 5 µmol/L of FCCP are ideal for measuring the complex I-mediated respiration in isolated mouse brain mitochondria. Furthermore, we determined that 2.5 µg of mitochondrial protein per well is ideal for measuring complex II-mediated respiration. Notably, we provide a discussion of logical analysis of data and how the assay could be utilized to design mechanistic studies for experimental stroke. In conclusion, we provide detailed experimental design for measurement of various respiratory parameters in isolated brain mitochondria utilizing a novel high-throughput technique along with interpretation and analysis of data.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agostini, M., Romeo, F., Inoue, S., Niklison-Chirou, M. V., Elia, A. J., Dinsdale, D., et al. (2016). Metabolic reprogramming during neuronal differentiation. Cell Death and Differentiation,23(9), 1502–1514. https://doi.org/10.1038/cdd.2016.36.
Andersen, J. V., Jakobsen, E., Waagepetersen, H. S., & Aldana, B. I. (2019). Distinct differences in rates of oxygen consumption and ATP synthesis of regionally isolated non-synaptic mouse brain mitochondria. Journal of Neuroscience Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/jnr.24371.
Attwell, D., & Laughlin, S. B. (2001). An energy budget for signaling in the grey matter of the brain. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism,21(10), 1133–1145. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004647-200110000-00001.
Back, T., Hemmen, T., & Schuler, O. G. (2004). Lesion evolution in cerebral ischemia. Journal of Neurology,251(4), 388–397. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-004-0399-y.
Barrientos, A., Fontanesi, F., & Diaz, F. (2009). Evaluation of the mitochondrial respiratory chain and oxidative phosphorylation system using polarography and spectrophotometric enzyme assays. Current Protocols in Human Genetics, Chapter,19(Unit19), 13. https://doi.org/10.1002/0471142905.hg1903s63.
Belayev, L., Zhao, W., Busto, R., & Ginsberg, M. D. (1997). Transient middle cerebral artery occlusion by intraluminal suture: I. Three-dimensional autoradiographic image-analysis of local cerebral glucose metabolism-blood flow interrelationships during ischemia and early recirculation. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism,17(12), 1266–1280. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004647-199712000-00002.
Berressem, D., Koch, K., Franke, N., Klein, J., & Eckert, G. P. (2016). Intravenous treatment with a long-chain omega-3 lipid emulsion provides neuroprotection in a murine model of ischemic stroke—A pilot study. PLoS ONE,11(11), e0167329. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0167329.
Boutagy, N. E., Rogers, G. W., Pyne, E. S., Ali, M. M., Hulver, M. W., & Frisard, M. I. (2015). Using isolated mitochondria from minimal quantities of mouse skeletal muscle for high throughput microplate respiratory measurements. Journal of Visualized Experiments. https://doi.org/10.3791/53216.
Brand, M. D., & Nicholls, D. G. (2011). Assessing mitochondrial dysfunction in cells. Biochemical Journal,435(2), 297–312. https://doi.org/10.1042/BJ20110162.
Busija, D. W., Katakam, P., Rajapakse, N. C., Kis, B., Grover, G., Domoki, F., et al. (2005). Effects of ATP-sensitive potassium channel activators diazoxide and BMS-191095 on membrane potential and reactive oxygen species production in isolated piglet mitochondria. Brain Research Bulletin,66(2), 85–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2005.03.022.
Cebak, J. E., Singh, I. N., Hill, R. L., Wang, J. A., & Hall, E. D. (2017). Phenelzine protects brain mitochondrial function in vitro and in vivo following traumatic brain injury by scavenging the reactive carbonyls 4-hydroxynonenal and acrolein leading to cortical histological neuroprotection. Journal of Neurotrauma,34(7), 1302–1317. https://doi.org/10.1089/neu.2016.4624.
Clerc, P., & Polster, B. M. (2012). Investigation of mitochondrial dysfunction by sequential microplate-based respiration measurements from intact and permeabilized neurons. PLoS ONE,7(4), e34465. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0034465.
Domoki, F., Bari, F., Nagy, K., Busija, D. W., & Siklos, L. (2004). Diazoxide prevents mitochondrial swelling and Ca2 + accumulation in CA1 pyramidal cells after cerebral ischemia in newborn pigs. Brain Research,1019(1–2), 97–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2004.05.088.
Doyle, K. P., Simon, R. P., & Stenzel-Poore, M. P. (2008). Mechanisms of ischemic brain damage. Neuropharmacology,55(3), 310–318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2008.01.005.
Fried, N. T., Moffat, C., Seifert, E. L., & Oshinsky, M. L. (2014). Functional mitochondrial analysis in acute brain sections from adult rats reveals mitochondrial dysfunction in a rat model of migraine. The American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology,307(11), C1017–C1030. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpcell.00332.2013.
Gaspar, T., Domoki, F., Lenti, L., Katakam, P. V., Snipes, J. A., Bari, F., et al. (2009). Immediate neuronal preconditioning by NS1619. Brain Research,1285, 196–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2009.06.008.
Gaspar, T., Katakam, P., Snipes, J. A., Kis, B., Domoki, F., Bari, F., et al. (2008). Delayed neuronal preconditioning by NS1619 is independent of calcium activated potassium channels. Journal of Neurochemistry,105(4), 1115–1128. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-4159.2007.05210.x.
Gido, G., Kristian, T., & Siesjo, B. K. (1997). Extracellular potassium in a neocortical core area after transient focal ischemia. Stroke,28(1), 206–210.
Golpich, M., Amini, E., Mohamed, Z., Azman Ali, R., Mohamed Ibrahim, N., & Ahmadiani, A. (2017). Mitochondrial dysfunction and biogenesis in neurodegenerative diseases: Pathogenesis and treatment. CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics,23(1), 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/cns.12655.
Hossmann, K. A. (1994). Viability thresholds and the penumbra of focal ischemia. Annals of Neurology,36(4), 557–565. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.410360404.
Kristian, T., Gido, G., Kuroda, S., Schutz, A., & Siesjo, B. K. (1998). Calcium metabolism of focal and penumbral tissues in rats subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. Experimental Brain Research,120(4), 503–509.
Kuroda, S., Katsura, K., Hillered, L., Bates, T. E., & Siesjo, B. K. (1996). Delayed treatment with alpha-phenyl-N-tert-butyl nitrone (PBN) attenuates secondary mitochondrial dysfunction after transient focal cerebral ischemia in the rat. Neurobiology of Disease,3(2), 149–157.
Long, A. N., Owens, K., Schlappal, A. E., Kristian, T., Fishman, P. S., & Schuh, R. A. (2015). Effect of nicotinamide mononucleotide on brain mitochondrial respiratory deficits in an Alzheimer’s disease-relevant murine model. BMC Neurology,15, 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-015-0272-x.
Mayanagi, K., Gaspar, T., Katakam, P. V., Kis, B., & Busija, D. W. (2007). The mitochondrial K(ATP) channel opener BMS-191095 reduces neuronal damage after transient focal cerebral ischemia in rats. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism,27(2), 348–355. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jcbfm.9600345.
Memezawa, H., Minamisawa, H., Smith, M. L., & Siesjo, B. K. (1992). Ischemic penumbra in a model of reversible middle cerebral artery occlusion in the rat. Experimental Brain Research,89(1), 67–78.
Moreira, P. I., Santos, M. S., Moreno, A. M., Seica, R., & Oliveira, C. R. (2003). Increased vulnerability of brain mitochondria in diabetic (Goto-Kakizaki) rats with aging and amyloid-beta exposure. Diabetes,52(6), 1449–1456.
Nakai, A., Kuroda, S., Kristián, T., & Siesjö, B. K. (1997). The immunosuppressant drug FK506 ameliorates secondary mitochondrial dysfunction following transient focal cerebral ischemia in the rat. Neurobiology of Disease,4(3), 288–300. https://doi.org/10.1006/nbdi.1997.0146.
Nicholls, D. (2002). Mitochondrial bioenergetics, aging, and aging-related disease. Science of Aging Knowledge Environment,2002(31), pe12. https://doi.org/10.1126/sageke.2002.31.pe12.
Nicholls, D. G. (2001). A history of UCP1. Biochemical Society Transactions,29(Pt 6), 751–755.
Nicholls, D. G. (2004). Mitochondrial membrane potential and aging. Aging Cell,3(1), 35–40. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-9728.2003.00079.x.
Nicholls, D. G. (2005). Mitochondria and calcium signaling. Cell Calcium,38(3–4), 311–317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceca.2005.06.011.
Nicholls, D. G., & Budd, S. L. (1998). Mitochondria and neuronal glutamate excitotoxicity. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta,1366(1–2), 97–112.
Nicholls, D. G., Budd, S. L., Ward, M. W., & Castilho, R. F. (1999). Excitotoxicity and mitochondria. Biochemical Society Symposium,66, 55–67.
Novgorodov, S. A., Riley, C. L., Keffler, J. A., Yu, J., Kindy, M. S., Macklin, W. B., et al. (2016). SIRT3 deacetylates ceramide synthases: Implications for mitochondrial dysfunction and brain injury. Journal of Biological Chemistry,291(4), 1957–1973. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M115.668228.
Pandya, J. D., Sullivan, P. G., & Pettigrew, L. C. (2011). Focal cerebral ischemia and mitochondrial dysfunction in the TNFalpha-transgenic rat. Brain Research,1384, 151–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2011.01.102.
Piwonska, M., Szewczyk, A., Schroder, U. H., Reymann, K. G., & Bednarczyk, I. (2016). Effectors of large-conductance calcium-activated potassium channel modulate glutamate excitotoxicity in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures. Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis (Wars),76(1), 20–31.
Rogers, G. W., Brand, M. D., Petrosyan, S., Ashok, D., Elorza, A. A., Ferrick, D. A., et al. (2011). High throughput microplate respiratory measurements using minimal quantities of isolated mitochondria. PLoS ONE,6(7), e21746. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0021746.
Russo, E., Napoli, E., & Borlongan, C. V. (2018). Healthy mitochondria for stroke cells. Brain Circulation,4(3), 95–98. https://doi.org/10.4103/bc.bc_20_18.
Sakamuri, S., Sperling, J. A., Sure, V. N., Dholakia, M. H., Peterson, N. R., Rutkai, I., et al. (2018). Measurement of respiratory function in isolated cardiac mitochondria using Seahorse XFe24 Analyzer: Applications for aging research. Geroscience,40(3), 347–356. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-018-0021-3.
Sauerbeck, A., Pandya, J., Singh, I., Bittman, K., Readnower, R., Bing, G., et al. (2011). Analysis of regional brain mitochondrial bioenergetics and susceptibility to mitochondrial inhibition utilizing a microplate based system. Journal of Neuroscience Methods,198(1), 36–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2011.03.007.
Schuh, R. A., Clerc, P., Hwang, H., Mehrabian, Z., Bittman, K., Chen, H., et al. (2011). Adaptation of microplate-based respirometry for hippocampal slices and analysis of respiratory capacity. Journal of Neuroscience Research,89(12), 1979–1988. https://doi.org/10.1002/jnr.22650.
Schwarzkopf, T. M., Hagl, S., Eckert, G. P., & Klein, J. (2013). Neuroprotection by bilobalide in ischemia: Improvement of mitochondrial function. Pharmazie,68(7), 584–589.
Shimizu, K., Lacza, Z., Rajapakse, N., Horiguchi, T., Snipes, J., & Busija, D. W. (2002). MitoK(ATP) opener, diazoxide, reduces neuronal damage after middle cerebral artery occlusion in the rat. American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology,283(3), H1005–H1011. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpheart.00054.2002.
Sims, N. R., & Muyderman, H. (2010). Mitochondria, oxidative metabolism and cell death in stroke. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta,1802(1), 80–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbadis.2009.09.003.
Takahashi, K., Miura, Y., Ohsawa, I., Shirasawa, T., & Takahashi, M. (2018). In vitro rejuvenation of brain mitochondria by the inhibition of actin polymerization. Scientific Reports,8(1), 15585. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-34006-5.
Tyrrell, D. J., Bharadwaj, M. S., Jorgensen, M. J., Register, T. C., Shively, C., Andrews, R. N., et al. (2017). Blood-based bioenergetic profiling reflects differences in brain bioenergetics and metabolism. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity,2017, 7317251. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/7317251.
Wang, Y., Xu, E., Musich, P. R., & Lin, F. (2019). Mitochondrial dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases and the potential countermeasure. CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics. https://doi.org/10.1111/cns.13116.
Yang, J. L., Mukda, S., & Chen, S. D. (2018). Diverse roles of mitochondria in ischemic stroke. Redox Biology,16, 263–275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.redox.2018.03.002.
Zhao, W., Belayev, L., & Ginsberg, M. D. (1997). Transient middle cerebral artery occlusion by intraluminal suture: II. Neurological deficits, and pixel-based correlation of histopathology with local blood flow and glucose utilization. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism,17(12), 1281–1290. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004647-199712000-00003.
Acknowledgements
We thank Ms. Sufen Zheng for her technical help for the studies.
Funding
This research project was supported by the National Institutes of Health: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NS094834—P.V. Katakam), National Institute on Aging (R01AG047296—R. Mostany), and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (DK107694—R. Satou). In addition, the study was supported by American Heart Association (National Center Scientist Development Grant, 14SDG20490359—P.V. Katakam; Greatersoutheast Affiliate Predoctoral Fellowship Grant, 16PRE27790122—V.N. Sure; and Scientist Development Grant, 17SDG33410366—I. Rutkai), Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science Center (supported in part by U54 GM104940 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, which funds the LACaTS to I. Rutkai), and Louisiana Board of Regents grants (RCS, LEQSF(2016-19)-RD-A-24—R. Mostany). This work was supported in part by [U54 GM104940] from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, which funds the Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science Center (to I. Rutkai). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval
Animal procedures and protocols were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Tulane University and performed in accordance with the ARRIVE guidelines. Furthermore, the manuscript is in compliance with the ethical standards and the policies of the journal.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sperling, J.A., Sakamuri, S.S.V.P., Albuck, A.L. et al. Measuring Respiration in Isolated Murine Brain Mitochondria: Implications for Mechanistic Stroke Studies. Neuromol Med 21, 493–504 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12017-019-08552-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12017-019-08552-8