Detection of Toxicity with an Application of a Phosphorescent Oxygen Probe, Luxcel A65N, for an Assay System Screening Cellular Respiration

Abstract

Due to the changing paradigm of drug testing, from in vivo to in vitro testing, new methods and assays are being investigated and developed to make more accurate and sensitive assays. When developing new assays, an important area of research is mitochondrial damage because pharmacological agents can have a huge influence on cell metabolism. Being able to monitor the effects of toxins on the cells, and specifically on the mitochondria, enables researchers to observe when drugs are toxic and can lead to cell death. In this study, a new probe detects the amount of oxygen consumed in the cells using phosphorescent quenching. Inhibitors can be used at many of the sites in the electron transport chain and glycolysis to further understand the process of oxidative phosphorylation and the importance of electron movement. Three inhibitors were chosen to show the function of three important sites of the electron transport chain: rotenone for complex 1, cyanide for complex III and iodoacetate for glycolysis.