Detection of reactive oxygen species

Semiconductor quantum dot (QD) nanocrystals and organic fluorophore-based probes are efficient detection tools for the fluorescent monitoring of reactive oxygen species in both in vivo and in vitro systems. Organic fluorophore dyes, which are currently the most commonly used probes, provide chemical information with respect to changes in the redox environment of the sample system. Chemical reactions of these probes with the target analyte are known to generate fluorescent products that correspond to a fluorescence signal enhancement that is proportional to the concentration of the analyte. QDs, on the other hand, have superior optical properties than those of organic fluorophore dyes. However, their development as fluorescent probes for reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been limited. Generally, each of these classes of probes has their merits and demerits. In this chapter, we provide a brief summary of probes for ROS that combine the requirements of specificity and a clear reaction mechanism needed for any efficient fluorescent probe.