Nanoelectrodes for intracellular measurements of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in single living cells

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in nanoelectrodes for intracellular detection of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, highlighting methodological improvements for precise single-cell measurements.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive survey of nanoelectrode techniques for measuring ROS/RNS inside single cells, emphasizing optimization and data interpretation methods.

Findings

Nanoelectrodes enable localized ROS/RNS detection in single cells.

Methodological issues include electrode geometry and probe positioning.

Advances improve accuracy of intracellular electrochemical measurements.

Abstract

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS) play important roles in various physiological processes (e.g., phagocytosis) and pathological conditions (e.g., cancer). The primary ROS/RNS, viz., hydrogen peroxide, peroxynitrite ion, nitric oxide, and nitrite ion, can be oxidized at different electrode potentials and therefore detected and quantified by electroanalytical techniques. Nanometer-sized electrochemical probes are especially suitable for measuring ROS/RNS in single cells and cellular organelles. In this article, we survey recent advances in localized measurements of ROS/RNS inside single cells and discuss several methodological issues, including optimization of nanoelectrode geometry, precise positioning of an electrochemical probe inside a cell, and interpretation of electroanalytical data.