Nitroblue Tetrazolium Reduction

Abstract

On the basis of pulse radiolysis data, the one-electron reduction of dioxygen was estimated to measure −0.33 V in aqueous media. Superoxide anion (O2 −) acts as a one-electron reducing agent in several reactions including reduction of quinones, tetranitromethane, cytochrome c and nitro-substituted aromatics such as nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT). 1 - 3 The reduction of NBT to blue formazan has been widely used as a probe of O2 − generation in chemical and biological systems. The reliability of the technique is based on the following assumptions: