Novel chemiluminescence method for detection of superoxide anions and its application to dry-cured meat Original Research Article

A novel method for detection of superoxide anions (O2radical dot−) is developed through a luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence (CL) reaction. The superoxide anions in different tissues of rats are extracted with dimethyl sulfoxide and tetrabutylammonium chloride (DMSO–TBAC) solution, and assayed by CL detection. Background or other interference due to other reactive oxygen species (ROS) is minimized and the CL emission conditions are optimized. This system is used to evaluate the levels of superoxide anions in rats that were fed large amounts of dry-cured meat in China. The possible concentration of O2radical dot− in the rat tissues is evaluated in the range of 10−8 to 10−7 M. The results showed that rats belonging to the dry-cured meat group have much higher levels of O2radical dot− than the control group, which could lead to tissue damage, such as inflammation and especially acute gingivitis when the inflammation occurs in the mouth.