A Reappraisal of the Utility of L-012 to Measure Superoxide from Biologically Relevant Sources.

The detection of superoxide anion (O) in biological tissues remains challenging. Barriers to convenient and reproducible measurements include expensive equipment, custom probes, and the need for high sensitivity and specificity. The luminol derivative, L-012, has been used to measure O since 1993 with mixed results and concerns over specificity.