Dynamic in vivo protein carbonyl biosensor for measuring oxidative stress

Oxidative stress is intimately linked to cellular energy balance and occurs when there is an imbalance between production and accumulation of reactive oxygen species in cells and tissues and the ability of a biological system to keep in a redox steady state. While protein carbonyls are an easily detectable marker of oxygen metabolism and oxidative stress, all methods to date have required significant sample preparation and do not provide the ability to measure dynamic changes. To overcome this problem, we develop the first method for measuring in vivo concentration changes of protein carbonyls using a minimally invasive optical fibre biosensor. We use this biosensor to measure redox balance and oxidative stress within living systems by measuring dynamic in vivo concentration changes of protein carbonyls.