Assessment of the respiratory chain enzyme activity in peripheral blood monocytes for the noninvasive diagnostics of mitochondrial disease

Mitochondrial diseases are among the most common metabolic disorders caused by mitochondrial dysfunction. Analyzing mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme activity is essential for diagnosis. However, clinical laboratories often rely on mitochondria isolated from muscle biopsies or cultured skin fibroblasts, which may be unacceptable for some pediatric patients. This highlights the need for improved blood-based diagnostic methods.

This paper describes spectrophotometric assays to evaluate mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme activity in peripheral blood monocytes. Sample preparation methods and assays for respiratory complexes I–IV and the mitochondrial matrix enzyme citrate synthase are detailed. The assays were validated via samples from a panel of 28 healthy children and validated in patients with combined and isolated mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation system (OXPHOS) deficiency.

The citrate synthase-normalized activities were 0.23 ± 0.08 for complex I, 0.22 ± 0.081 for complex II, 0.16 ± 0.07 for complex III, and 0.22 ± 0.07 for complex IV. All patients with mitochondrial disease exhibited the expected reductions in respiratory complex activity.

We established a method to analyze the respiratory complex activities via blood samples. The normal enzymatic activity ranges were established from healthy Chinese pediatric populations. We also validated the assay via samples from patients with mitochondrial disease. By establishing the first pediatric-specific reference ranges for mitochondrial respiratory chain complex activities in a Chinese population and validating this minimally invasive blood-based assay in patients with mitochondrial disease, our study enabled earlier detection, precise monitoring, and personalized management of mitochondrial disorders while avoiding the need for invasive tissue biopsies.

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