Time-resolved energy transfer spectroscopy for measuring mitochondrial metabolim in living cells

Energy transfer from NADH to the mitochondrial marker rhodamine 123 (R123) was used to probe mitochondrial malfunction of cultivated endothelial cells incubated with various inhibitors of specific enzyme complexes of the respiratory chain. Pronounced differences of,,energy transfer efficacy of incubated cells as compared to controls were deduced from the ratio of fluorescence intensity and intracellular amount of the acceptor. A combination of cw and time-gated (nanosecond) fluorescence spectroscopy appeared to be an appropriate tool for probing mitochondrial malfunction in various kinds of diseases.