Mitochondrial respiration at cold acclimated rats. Comparison of tissues.

Acclimation to cold or hardening is known for many decades through its beneficial effects on human health. In contrast, sudden exposure to cold, cold shock, is a great risk of cerebral and cardiac injury, especially in the elderly. There is very little published data on the cellular and molecular mechanisms induced by cold adaptation in heart and brain. The aim of this work was to describe and compare different properties heart, liver, brain and brown adipose tissue mitochondria of rats housed at 25 ± 1 řC and at mild cold (9 ± 1 řC, 5 weeks). The high-resolution oxygraphy, spectrophotometry and Western blotting analyses were used. We found differences in the respiratory control between the heart and liver. Cold acclimation decreased activity of the Krebs cycle enzymes. Fatty acid contribution to the respiration reached the maximum in brown fat and the minimum in the hippocampus. However, further study is necessary