Study of UV effect on biological membranes

The role of development stages of hydroperoxides and secondary products of lipide peroxide photooxidation in the increase of the ion permeability of the internal membrane of liver mitochondria in rats under UV irradiation was studied. With two irradiation regimes at doses ensuring in both cases the same level of lipide peroxide photooxidation the increase of potassium permeability of mitochondrial membranes, controlled by the energy dependent swelling of organelles in the medium with potassium acetate, and the disjunction of oxidative phosphorylation are much higher under the UV irradiation in the range of 250-350 nm. It has been concluded that the disturbance of mitochondrial barrier properties in peroxide photooxidation of lipides is induced most effectively in the stage of secondary product formation, while the appearance of hydroperoxides has in itself a low effect on these properties