Spontaneous and thermoinduced photon emission: new methods to detect and quantify oxidative stress in plants

Peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids is one of the main events triggered by oxidative stress in cells. Some lipid peroxidation products are light-emitting species, and their luminescence can be used as an internal marker of oxidative stress. However, this spontaneous chemiluminescence is weak and difficult to measure. Recent studies have shown that an alternative approach that involves measuring thermoluminescence bands at high temperature (in the range 80-150 degrees C) is a simple way of detecting and quantifying lipid peroxidative damage and oxidative stress in plants.