Cytobiochemical biomarkers of the state of mitochondria in humans. II. Small but clear differences between elderly people with bronchial asthma and these with no clinical symptoms or middle-aged examinees

Quantitative indicators of mitochondria functions and dysfunctions were estimated by the activity of dehydrogenases (DH): succinate DH (SDH), lactate DH (LDH), LDH/SDH as glycolysis-respiration ratio or Warburg effect (WEF) measure proposed by our group. The measurements were carried out by our advanced cyto-BIO-chemical method in mitochondria within lymphocytes in a smear of blood [1, 2]. In this study we have added α-ketoglutarate (KGL) DH (KDH) measurement by blue staining of nitroblue tetrazolium and estimation of KGL influence on red staining of nucleus (KNU) by neutral red (NR). Part I of the work showed that given the great differences between the states of examinees DH activity served as sensitive biomarker [3]. WEF reveals these changes with even greater amplitude. We have shown that DH do not distinctly reveal smaller differences between elderly people with chronic bronchial asthma and control group of the same age or with healthy middle-aged examinees. However, WEF detects the smaller distinctions clearly (Fig1). Strict distribution of examinees by this indicator completely corresponds to the physician’s opinion on the clinical data. But even WEF cannot reveal very mild differences between elderly and middle-aged people within the range of norm. However, KDH and KNU detect this differences (Fig2).