The Antioxidant Trolox Enhances the Oxidation of 2′, 7′-Dichlorofluorescin to 2′, 7′-Dichlorofluorescein

The use of antioxidants to prevent intracellular free radical damage is an area currently attracting considerable research interest. The compound 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA) is a probe for intracellular peroxide formation commonly used in such studies. During our studies we unexpectedly found that incubation of Trolox, a water soluble vitamin E analog, with DCFH-DA in cell-free physiological buffers resulted in the deacetylation and oxidation of DCFH-DA to form the fluorescent compound, 2′,7′-dichlorofluororescein (DCF). The reaction was time-, temperature-, and pH-dependent. Fluorescence intensity increased with an increase in either Trolox or DCFH-DA concentration. These results indicate that even at physiological pH, DCFH-DA can be deacetylated to form 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescin (DCFH). DCFH can then be oxidized to DCF by abstraction of a hydrogen atom by the phenoxyl radical of Trolox. Exposure of the reaction mixture to 10 Gy of 60Co gamma radiation greatly increased production of DCF. Antioxidant compounds reported to “repair” the Trolox phenoxyl radical (e.g., ascorbic acid, salicylate) can also prevent the Trolox-induced DCFH-DA fluorescence. However, compounds that cannot repair the Trolox phenoxyl radical (e.g., catechin) or can themselves form a radical (e.g., uric acid, TEMPOL) either have no effect or can increase levels of DCF. These results demonstrate that experimental design must be carefully considered when using DCFH-DA to measure peroxide formation in combination with certain antioxidants.