Analysis of Reactive oxygen species (ROS) by Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy (CAT#: STEM-MB-1017-WXH)

Introduction

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play important roles in cell signalling and homeostasis and are natural by-products of the normal oxygen metabolism. Nevertheless, unfavourable conditions, e.g. environmental stress, can lead to dramatically increased ROS levels that – due to the high reactivity of these molecules – may result in significant damage to the cell. Increased ROS levels are often caused by diseases, for example in inflammatory responses including cardiovascular disease and ischemic injury including stroke and heart attack. Furthermore, ROS are according to the free-radical theory thought to be a major contributor to the organism’s functional decline in the course of aging, rendering their investigation to be of utmost importance.