Meeting Abstract
Vespa amino acid mixture (VAAM) is a mixture monomeric amino acids mimicking the salivary secretions of larval Vespa mandarinia which enhances endurance capacity and ATP production in many eukaryotic species. We have demonstrated that while VAAM does increase the ATP production of mitochondrial and cellular isolates and the endurance of live organisms, high doses of VAAM limit the survival of mitochondria, cells, and organisms. We propose that this is due to increased oxidative stress leading to mitochondrial degradation and activation of apoptotic pathways. Brassica oleracea mitochondrial isolates exposed to high or moderate doses of VAAM initially increase export of protons, but lose the ability generate the proton motive force and maintain ATP production within 20 minutes. VAAM treated Saccharomyces cerevisiae significantly accumulate hydrogen peroxide within 5 minutes, followed by shifts in NAD+/NADH and activation of caspase signaling within 30 minutes. Addition of &alpha-tocopherol limits the negative impacts of VAAM on these markers without a significant reduction in ATP production. Combining VAAM treatment with 2,4‐dinitrophenol or sodium azide, both uncouplers of the proton motive force, also reduces the negative impacts of VAAM on mitochondrial and cellular markers. This is surprising, as mitochondrial membrane uncouplers have well established toxic effects, which seem to counteract the toxic activity of VAAM. Taken together, these findings suggest that VAAM increases the rate of proton transport, resulting in an increase in oxidative phosphorylation and a level of reactive oxygen production which damages mitochondrial membrane structure. The mitigation of these effects by mitochondrial membrane uncoupling agents suggests VAAM has the capacity to supercouple the proton motive force with the activity of ATP synthase.
