Monitoring of Hydroxyl Radical Induced Oxidation of Yeast Cells Using Biological Autoluminescence

It is known that the excessive oxidative processes (oxidative stress) in organisms are correlated with various diseases. Here we show the non-invasive monitoring of oxidative stress of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells using biological autoluminescence (BAL). The physical nature of this specific phenomenon is briefly introduced, and the results of BAL measurements from yeast cell solutions with the presence of hydrogen peroxide and ferrous ions are presented. The results confirm the assumption that the BAL intensity is mediated by hydroxyl radical, produced by the Fenton reaction, which causes oxidation of cells and initiates biochemical reactions leading to BAL generation. Since oxidative stress induced BAL from yeast cells has not been widely analyzed before in the literature, our results could be a useful contribution to this field of research.