Murexide bleaching: a new direct assay method for characterizing reactive oxygen species.

The murexide (5,5'-nitrilodibarbituric acid, monoammonium salt) is an efficient scavenger for superoxide and hydroxyl radicals. When exposed to oxygen radicals, murexide is converted to a colorless alloxan derivative and its absorbance at 520 nm decreases in proportion to the radicals produced. It is used to detect these reactive oxygen species in biochemical systems such as acetaldehyde oxidation by xanthine oxidase and the respiratory burst of polymorphonuclear leukocytes induced by phorbol 12-myristate, 13-acetate. The method was sensitive enough to allow direct monitoring of the production of superoxides from 10(6) phorbol 12-myristate, 13-acetate polymorphonuclear leukocyte-stimulated cells. Moreover, murexide bleaching is inhibited in the presence of radical scavengers, allowing a comparison of their scavenging activities.