Analytical Techniques for Oxidative Stress Biomarkers
Summary
Oxidative stress biomarkers provide quantitative insight into the balance between reactive oxygen species generation and antioxidant defence in biological systems. Key classes include lipid peroxidation products (for example malondialdehyde and isoprostanes), oxidised proteins and DNA adducts. Analytical workflows have evolved from simple spectrophotometric assays to highly sensitive and specific hyphenated techniques. Chromatographic separation (gas chromatography and liquid chromatography) coupled with mass spectrometric detection now dominates, delivering both structural resolution of isomeric species and low-level quantification in complex matrices. Immunoassays and fluorescence-based approaches remain valuable for rapid screening, yet face challenges in specificity and cross-reactivity. Recent advances spotlight ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry with triple quadrupole instrumentation, high-resolution MS/MS libraries and molecular networking to expand coverage of unconventional oxidised metabolites. Methodological standardisation, nomenclature updates and harmonised reference materials are central to enabling reproducible measurements across laboratories and applications ranging from clinical research to environmental monitoring.
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Analytical Techniques for Oxidative Stress Biomarkers publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in analytical techniques for oxidative stress biomarkers across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Oxidative stress biomarker: A molecule whose altered concentration reflects the balance between pro-oxidant processes and antioxidant defences.
Isoprostane: A series of prostaglandin-like compounds formed non-enzymatically from polyunsaturated fatty acids, used as reliable indices of lipid peroxidation.
Oxylipin: Oxygenated derivatives of polyunsaturated fatty acids, encompassing enzymatic and non-enzymatic metabolites involved in inflammation and cellular signalling.
UHPLC-QqQ-ESI-MS/MS: Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with electrospray ionisation, enabling targeted quantification at trace levels.
Molecular networking: A computational strategy that organises mass spectrometric data into structural families, permitting rapid annotation of related metabolites.
TBARS: Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, a spectrophotometric assay measuring malondialdehyde and allied aldehydic products of lipid oxidation.
References
- From MS/MS library implementation to molecular networks: Exploring oxylipin diversity with NEO-MSMS. Scientific Data (2024).
- An update of isoprostanoid nomenclature. Progress in Lipid Research (2024).
- Urinary Malondialdehyde (MDA) Concentrations in the General Population—A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis. Toxics (2022).
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