Oxidative Stress Assessment

It is without question that pro-oxidant agents mediate oxidative stress (OS) and are at the epicenter of biological functions and pathophysiological events. Because of the importance of oxidative events to normal and abnormal cell functions, it has become imperative to develop appropriate analytical techniques to facilitate the estimation and quantitation of the redox state in biological systems (e.g., cells, tissues, the whole organism). Thus, reactive species (RS), free radicals (FR), and breakdown end-products should be measured precisely by analytical methods that offer greater sensitivities and suitability for each and every biomarker. The biomedical application of these methods is extensive, and future influence will be matchless. However, the determination and assessment of OS biomarkers is usually complex and cumbersome. An interdisciplinary approach is therefore needed and can allow for the monitoring of OS in various models for real clinical and biomedical applications. Monitoring OS can be done by assaying the end-product of oxidative damage in clinical samples or by investigating the antioxidant potential of an organism, tissue, or body fluids. This chapter covers a wide range of techniques ranging from portable hand-held detectors to sophisticated technology such as fluorescent imaging, proteomics, and chromatographic fingerprints in order to evaluate perturbations in cell function resulting from increased OS. This chapter also discusses the advantages and limitations of the state-of-the-art methodologies that are currently available in redox assessment.