Author Institution: Biological Sciences Department, Kent State UniversityThe inhibition of oxygen consumption was studied in vitro using the metabolic inhibitors antimycin A, oligomycin, and sodium cyanide. Primary concern was to determine the rate and extent of oxidative inhibition upon intact rat bone marrow cells. At concentrations of 5 x 1()~2 sodium cyanide, or higher, inhibition was total and immediate. At a concentration of 5 x 10~3 it was found that sodium cyanide was not significantly inhibitory during the first ten minutes of incubation. Antimycin A and oligomycin were found to be significantly inhibitory for oxygen consumption within two minutes at the 5 x 1()~2 and 5 x 1()~3 concentrations. At concentrations higher than 5 x 10^2 antimycin A and oligomycin were equally effective inhibitors of oxygen consumption. Use of lower concentrations of the two antibiotics showed that oligomycin was slightly more inhibitory to bone marrow oxygen consumption than antimicycin A
