Journal of Biological Research (Jan 2014)

Intracellular magnesium content changes during mitochondria-mediated apoptosis: in depth study of early events on mitochondrial membrane potential

  • Lucia Merolle,
  • Concettina Cappadone,
  • Giovanna Farruggia,
  • Chiara Marraccini,
  • Azzurra Sargenti,
  • Alessia Colanardi,
  • Stefano Iotti

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4081/jbr.2014.2139
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 87, no. 1

Abstract

Read online

A recent study showed the antitumor activity of a new indole-derivative – MM-67 – inducing mitochondria-mediated apoptosis and a decrease of intracellular magnesium (Mg) concentration in HT29 colon cancer cells. Aim of this work was to assess cellular Mg levels throughout MM-67-induced apoptosis from the early to the final stage of the process and to evaluate the correlation with mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) variations. All analysis were performed by flow cytometry: ΔΨm was assessed by using mitochondrial potential sensitive dye DiOC6, while free and total intracellular cation concentrations were assessed by using the commercial probe MagFluo4-AM (Kd=4.7 mM), and the new synthesized DCHQ5 (Kd=8.3 mM), respectively. Our results evidenced that the MM67 induced apoptosis is characterized by a direct correlation between ΔΨ and free intracellular Mg content variations.

Keywords