Evidence of changes, induced by HeNe laser irradiation, in the optical and biochemical properties of rat liver mitochondria

Photoacoustic spectroscopy measurements reveal that HeNe low-power irradiation causes changes in mitochondrial optical properties. However, it has been found that this process damages neither the membrane of the mitochondria nor some of their enzymatic activities. The HeNe laser irradiation effect was investigated both with regard to the redox state change of intramitochondrial pyridine nucleotides, induced by addition to the mitochondria of oxaloacetate, oxoglutarate plus ammonia and cis-aconitate, and to the permeability of rat liver mitochondria to the same substrates. It was found that laser irradiation modifies some NADH-linked dehydrogenase reactions of the mitochondria.