Conversion of superoxide generated by polymorphonuclear leukocytes to hydroxyl radical: a direct spectrophotometric detection system based on degradation of deoxyribose.

Hydroxyl radical is produced secondarily after phagocytic cells have been stimulated to generate superoxide anion. The systems used most commonly for detection of cell-generated hydroxyl radical are often inconvenient for routine biomedical research. We have modified an assay used heretofore in cell-free systems, that is, the degradation of deoxyribose, and adapted it for use with neutrophils. The time and dose responses of the system, requirement for chelated iron, inhibition profiles with various scavengers, and correlation with superoxide production have been ascertained. The method correlated strongly with a standard but more cumbersome technique. Values for a normal population are provided. The method can readily be used to study the parameters of superoxide-hydroxyl radical conversion by cells in various disease or treatment states.