Analysis of mitochondrial Complex I activity and ATP hydrolysis capacity of ATP synthase in developing rat brains using frozen tissues.

In a previous study, we analyzed the activity of the mitochondrial respiratory Complex II, Complex IV and ATP synthase in frozen tissues of postnatal rat brains (Yao et al., 2023). In this study, we expand our capability of assessing mitochondrial functions using frozen tissue samples. We optimize protocols for measuring the activity of Complex I, and ATP hydrolysis capacity - known as the reverse action - of ATP synthase. We show that the specific functions of these mitochondrial proteins increase linearly as the brain develops.