Mitochondria play a central role in the biochemical processes associated with the life and death stages of eukaryotic cells.
Under normal physiological conditions, a membrane-based proton pump generates an electrochemical proton gradient, or mitochondrial membrane potential ΔΨm, enabling the physiological function of the respiratory chain in order to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of the cell. A significant and sustained decrease, or depolarization, will result in the cell becoming depleted of energy, ultimately resulting in death of the cell. It’s also implicated during cellular stress and apoptosis, and has been associated with the pathophysiology of many diseases. ImmunoChemistry Technologies manufactures several MitoPT assay kits for the detection of mitochondrial membrane potential. In this presentation, learn how these kits can be used to detect cellular stress and apoptosis, and some of the considerations and possible challenges when using them for this purpose.