The purpose of this position paper is to present a critical analysis of the challenges and limitations of the most widely used fluorescent probes for detecting and measuring reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Where feasible, we have made recommendations for the use of alternate probes and appropriate analytical techniques that measure the specific products formed from the reactions between fluorescent probes and reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. We have proposed guidelines that will help present and future researchers with regard to the optimal use of selected fluorescent probes and interpretation of results.

Nitric oxide (NO) methodology is a complex and often confusing science and the focus of many debates and discussion concerning NO biochemistry. NO is involved in many physiological processes including regulation of blood pressure, immune response, and neural communication. Therefore its accurate detection and quantification are critical to understanding health and disease. Due to the extremely short physiological half-life of this gaseous free radical, alternative strategies for the detection of reaction products of NO biochemistry have been developed. The quantification of NO metabolites in biological samples provides valuable information with regard to in vivo NO production, bioavailability, and metabolism. Simply sampling a single compartment such as blood or plasma may not always provide an accurate assessment of whole body NO status, particularly in tissues. Therefore, extrapolation of plasma or blood NO status to specific tissues of interest is no longer a valid approach. As a result, methods continue to be developed and validated which allow the detection and quantification of NO and NO-related products/metabolites in multiple compartments of experimental animals in vivo. The methods described in this review is not an exhaustive or comprehensive discussion of all methods available for the detection of NO but rather a description of the most commonly used and practical methods which allow accurate and sensitive quantification of NO products/metabolites in multiple biological matrices under normal physiological conditions.

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Facile detection of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in biologic systems is often problematic. This is a result of the numerous cellular mechanisms, both enzymatic and nonenzymatic involved in their catabolism/decomposition, the complex and overlapping nature of their reactivities, as well as the often limited intracellular access of detector systems. This review describes approaches to the direct and indirect measurement of different reactive metabolites of oxygen and nitrogen. Particular attention to a method's applicability for in vivo determinations will be addressed.

A growing body of experimental data indicates that reactive oxygen metabolites such as superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radical may mediate the mucosal injury produced by reperfusion of ischemic intestine. Xanthine oxidase has been proposed as the primary source of these reduced O2 species because pretreatment with xanthine oxidase inhibitors such as allopurinol or pterin aldehyde prevent postischemic mucosal injury. Another potential source of oxygen radicals is the inflammatory neutrophil. To ascertain whether neutrophils could play a role in the pathogenesis of ischemia-reperfusion injury in the small bowel we examined the effect of ischemia and reperfusion on neutrophil infiltration and tissue levels of reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and catalase. Our studies demonstrate that reperfusion of ischemic intestines results in a dramatic increase (1,800%) in neutrophil infiltration and a concurrent loss of reduced glutathione and superoxide dismutase of 60 and 30%, respectively. Catalase activity was unaffected by ischemia-reperfusion. Pretreatment with allopurinol or administration of superoxide dismutase prevented the influx of neutrophils and retarded the drop in reduced glutathione levels. These results suggest a relationship among xanthine oxidase-generated oxy radicals, neutrophil extravasation, and mucosal damage. We propose that ischemia and reperfusion results in xanthine oxidase-generated, superoxide-dependent accumulation of inflammatory neutrophils in the mucosa where neutrophil-derived reactive oxygen metabolites mediate and/or exacerbate intestinal injury.