Protective effect of safranine on the mitochondrial damage induced by Fe(II)citrate: comparative study with trifluoperazine.

In this study, we show that safranine at the concentrations usually employed as a probe of mitochondrial membrane potential significantly protects against the oxidative damage of mitochondria induced by Fe(II)citrate. The effect of safranine was illustrated by experiments showing that this dye strongly inhibits both production of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and membrane potential decrease when energized mitochondria were exposed to Fe(II)citrate in the presence of Ca2+ ions. Similar results were obtained with the lipophylic compound trifluoperazine. It is proposed that, like trifluoperazine, safranine decreases the rate of lipid peroxidation due to its insertion in the membrane altering the physical state of the lipid phase.