ABSTRACT
Mitochondria are distinct organelles which can occupy 2 to 22% of the volume of the cytoplasm of all aerobic eukaryotic cells. Tests based on suspensions of submitochondrial particles (SMP) — micelle-shaped fragments of the inner convoluted enzyme-laden cristae membrane of mitochondria — occupy a special niche in the spectrum of in vitro bioassays for toxicants in water or aqueous solutions. SMP tests are clearly becoming a popular and efficient method for rapid determination of toxicity in water samples or aqueous extracts and are gaining wider acceptance for practical applications in environmental monitoring. As with all biochemical tests based on single cells, cell organelles or fragments, or cell constituents, SMP tests are still only a surrogate model of restricted validity for whole-organism toxicity. Mitochondria and SMP from beef hearts were selected as biologicals to develop broad-spectrum screening tests for toxicants in the environment for some reasons.
