Real time monitoring of superoxide dynamics in vivo through fluorescent proteins using a sensitive fiber probe

Superoxide anion is the primary oxygen free radical generated in mitochondria that causes intracellular oxidative stress. The lack of a method to directly monitor superoxide concentration in vivo in real time has severely hindered our understanding on its pathophysiology. We made transgenic zebrafish to specifically express fluorescent proteins, which are recently developed as reversible superoxide-specific indicators, in the liver. A fiber-optic fluorescent probe was used to noninvasively monitor superoxide generation in the liver in real time. The fish were placed in microfluidic channels for manipulation and reagents administration. Several superoxide-inducing and scavenging reagents were administrated onto the fish to investigate their effects on superoxide anion balancing. The biochemical dynamics of superoxide due to the application reagents were revealed in the transient behaviors of fluorescence time courses. With the ability to monitor superoxide dynamics in vivo in real time, this method can be used as an in vivo pharmaceutical screening platform.