Idohna Leah J.

Buendia Bio 120 A-2L

January 19, 2011 Sir Michael Delomen

Cell Respiration
Liver is the largest internal organ of the body. It has many functions including metabolism. Metabolism and some other function require energy. This energy is provided by the liver mitochondria because the mitochondria are the power house of energy. Liver cells have maximum number of mitochondria (1000-2000 per cell). The enzymes in the liver cell mitochondria help in detoxifying ammonia which is produce as waste product of metabolism. This is the reason that liver cells have high number of mitochondria. Among the six test tubes, only set-up 4 was heated and got the slowest respiration rate mainly because enzymes in set-up 4 were denatured due to heat given. This proves that enzymes function as catalysts of reactions. Same goes with set-up 3 where the one being tested if there is an involvement of the succinate in the reaction. And it was clearly seen that DPIP was not reduced since there was no presence of succinate. Instead DPIP was oxidized. Thus there was an increase in the absorbance value. Liver homogenate was used as the source of the succinate dehydrogenase enzyme. Cyanide on the other hand acts as an inhibitor and is irreversible. Cyanide would prevent the production of ATP from respiration because it would bind with complex IV of the electron transport chain/system (ETS). Thus if there is no production of ATP, respiration will not continue. Malonate would also act as inhibitor but this it is reversible specifically competitive inhibitor. This is so because malonate has structural analog of the succinate. Malonate would inhibit and bind with complex II of also ETS. Thus there would not be transfer of electron and so

there would be no production of ATP which means that respiration will no longer continue. The presence of water as shown in all set-ups is higher in the blank test tubes since water is the medium of chemical reactions. Table 7.1 Absorbance value at 605 nm based on DPIP color changes. Test Tube Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 minutes 1.900 1.900 1.720 1.950 1.850 1.600 30 minutes 1.800 1.950 1.720 1.999 1.780 1.090

For the set-ups, test tube 1 is the constant and control set-up among the six; test tube 2 having the presence of both cyanide and succinate together with the enzyme showed that

respiration was inhibited; test tube 3 showed no respiration at all since there was no substrate present (succinate); test tube 4 showed no respiration because there was no enzyme present found in the liver homogenate; test tube 5 showed respiration at of a slower rate due to the presence of malonate; test tube 6 the presence of a solid succinate increase the concentration of substrate succinate which made it decrease the ability of malonate to bind with the active site of the enzyme. It was seen that a higher respiration rate was produced.