Chemiluminescence Measurement of the Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species

Phagocytosis is one of the oxygen depending processes in organisms. During the unspecifi c immunological defense, the activity of pentosephosphate cyclus is dramatically increased forming NADPH. NADPH is needed to reduce the oxygen which is bonded to membrane-based cytochromes. Therefore, the oxygen demand is strongly increased (respiratory burst). During this process, oxygen is converted into superoxide anions, hydrogen peroxide, monomolecular oxygen and hydroxylradicals by means of serveral kinds of phagocytic cells (e.g. neutrophil, eosinophil and basophil leucocytes, macrophages). These extracellular highly reactive oxygen species (ROS) cause many biological effects such as destruction of bacterial cells, parasites and tumor cells, promoting infl ammation and modulating the immune reaction (Fig. 1).