Inhibition by ozone of the acylation of glycerol 3-phosphate in mitochondria and microsomes from rat lung

Abstract

The synthesis of lipids from [U- 14C]glycerol 3-phosphate by mitochondrial or microsomal fractions from rat lung was inhibited by ozone. The susceptible reaction was the first acylation of glycerol 3-phosphate. Enzymes unaffected by the ozone exposure included: acyl-CoA thioesterase, acyl-CoA thiokinase, acyl-CoA:acylglycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase, acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase, and acyl-CoA:acylglycerophosphocholine acyltransferase. The effect of ozone on lipid synthesis is closely comparable to the inhibition by N-ethylmaleimide suggesting that the effect of ozone is the oxidation of enzyme sulfhydryl groups. There was no indication of lipid oxidation caused by ozone and no indication of the production of a stable toxic compound.