摘要
Development of the use of favin and nicotinamide-adenine nucleotide fluorescence in monitoringthe redox state of the free mitochondrial NADH/NAD+couple in cels,tissues and organs isreviewed.A break-through was the identification of dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase(FpL)asthe major NAD-linked fluorescent fla voprotein of mitochondria.This mitochondrial matrix fla-voprotein is in equilibriwn with the fre NADH/NAD+pool and its mid-potential is suficientlynear to that of NADH/NAD+so that its percentage reduction follows that of the latter.Pos.sibilities of monitoring mitochondial and cytosolic NADH depend on the population density ofmitochondria and thus are tissue-dependent.Upon a shift toward reduction,fluorescenceintensitis of NADH and flavins swing to reciprocal directions,so that the NADH/favin fluo-rescence ratio can be used to increase the sensitivity of redox monitoring.This method is attainingwidening use in studies on metabolic regulation under normal and pathological conditions.
