Lucigenin (NSC-151912)

Lucigenin is a chemiluminescent probe used to detect superoxide production and the presence of chloride.^1,2 It can be used to detect superoxide production by enzymatic and cellular sources.^1,3,4 It is a sensitive method that has been applied to the monitoring of superoxide production from xanthine oxidase, microsomal NADPH cytochrome reductase, and NADPH oxidases of phagocytes, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and smooth muscle cells of blood vessel walls.^3,5 However, it produces similar chemiluminescence signals in isolated aortic and cardiac tissues from wild-type and Nox1-Nox2-Nox4 triple knockout mice, suggesting that it is not selective for NADPH-based ROS production.⁶ It also reacts with hydrogen peroxide without generating free radical intermediates and has been used to detect lipid hydroperoxide in oils.⁷ Lucigenin is also used as a fluorescent chloride-sensitive indicator, with its fluorescence being quenched by chloride (ex/em = 455/505 nm, respectively).^2,8,9 Lucigenin fluorescence is insensitive to phosphate, sulfate, and nitrate.²

1.Li, Y., Zhu, H., Kuppusamy, P., et al.Validation of lucigenin (Bis-N-methylacridinium) as a chemilumigenic probe for detecting superoxide anion radical production by enzymatic and cellular systemsJ. Biol. Chem.273(4)2015-2023(1998) 2.Biwersi, J., Tulk, B., and Werkman, A.S.Long-wavelength chloride-sensitive fluorescent indicatorsAnal. Biochem.219(1)139-143(1994) 3.Vladimirov, Y.A., and Proskurnina, E.V.Free radicals and cell chemiluminescenceBiochemistry (Mosc.)74(13)1545-1566(2009) 4.Skatchkov, M.P., Sperling, D., Hink, U., et al.Validation of lucigenin as a chemiluminescent probe to monitor vascular superoxide as well as basal vascular nitric oxide productionBiochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.254(2)319-324(1999) 5.Cai, H., Dikalov, S., Griendling, K.K., et al.Detection of reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide in vascular cells and tissues: Comparison of sensitivity and specificityMethods Mol. Med.139293-311(2007) 6.Rezende, F., L?we, O., Helfinger, V., et al.Unchanged NADPH oxidase activity in Nox1-Nox2-Nox4 triple knockout mice – What do NADPH-stimulated chemiluminescence assays really detect?Antioxid. Redox Signal.24(7)392-399(2016) 7.Bunting, J.P., and Gray, D.A.Development of a flow injection chemiluminescent assay for the quantification of lipid hydroperoxidesJ. Am. Oil Chem. Soc.80(10)951-955(2003) 8.Ferdani, R., Li, R., Pajewski, R., et al.Transport of chloride and carboxyfluorescein through phospholipid vesicle membranes by heptapeptide amphiphilesOrg. Biomol. Chem.5(15)2423-2432(2007) 9.Ruedas-Rama, M.J., Orte, A., Hall, E.A.H., et al.A chloride ion nanosensor for time-resolved fluorimetry and fluorescence lifetime imagingAnalyst137(6)1500-1508(2012)