What is Lucigenin used for?

Lucigenin is a chemiluminescent probe used to detect superoxide production and the presence of chloride. It can be used to detect superoxide production by enzymatic and cellular sources.

Which of the blood chemiluminescent catalase tests is the most sensitive?

In case of chemiluminescence (CL), Lucigenin-enhanced CL (LECL) is used because it is one of the most sensitive and convenient methods to detect reactive oxygen species (ROS) released from various cells [11, 12]. We recently described the mechanism by which Lucigenin detects ROS [13].

How does chemiluminescence work?

Chemiluminescence is a term for light that is generated as a product of a chemical reaction. The chemiluminescent reactions generate unstable compounds, which then break down or decay in order to form more stable compounds; in the process, energy is emitted in the form of light, which is visible.

What is luminol and how does it work?

Forensic investigators use luminol to detect trace amounts of blood at crime scenes, as it reacts with the iron in hemoglobin. When luminol is sprayed evenly across an area, trace amounts of an activating oxidant make the luminol emit a blue glow that can be seen in a darkened room.

Is the Lucigenin assay a measure of superoxide?

The lucigenin assay has been criticized as a measure of superoxide because lucigenin itself can react to produce superoxide, and because in some cases lucigenin has been observed to stimulate superoxide production by intact cells. Luminol, unlike cytochrome c and lucigenin, is oxidized by superoxide.

What happens when a Lucigenin radical reacts with oxygen?

The lucigenin radical can then react with either oxygen, producing superoxide, or with superoxide in an addition reaction, leading to the decomposition of the lucigenin into two acridones, one of which is in an excited state, and decays to produce light.