Several detection dyes have been developed that are useful to measure oxidative activity by flow cytometry. Upon oxidation, dyes such as 2′7′-dichlorofl uorescein (DCFH), DCFH diacetate (DCFH-DA), and dihydrorhodamine 123 (DHR) fluoresce when excited with a 488 nm laser.
DHR 123 typically yields the most accurate and reproducible results. In addition,
DHR easily penetrates into live cells in vivo and can be used to evaluate the oxidative state within tissues using microscopy, fluorometry, and fl ow cytometry.