Organ chemiluminescence: noninvasive assay for oxidative radical reactions.

In situ and perfused rat livers showed a spontaneous chemiluminescence of 7-12 counts/sec . cm2 (corresponding to 7-12 x 10(3) photons/sec . cm2); chemiluminescence was increased up to 30 times by infusion of exogenous hydroperoxides. The chemiluminescence of the perfused liver was oxygen dependent. Ethyl, t-butyl, and cumene hydroperoxides were almost equally effective in inducing light emission in the perfused liver. Glutathione release and chemiluminescence showed a parallel increase upon hydroperoxide supply to the perfused liver. A partial spectral analysis of the chemiluminescence of the perfused liver showed a predominance of red-light-emitting species, presumably arising from the singlet oxygen dimol-emission peaks. Many side reactions derived from the complex free radical sequence of lipid peroxidation could afford the chemistry leading to light emission, which represents only about 10(-14) of the utilization of peroxide.