Single europium-doped nanoparticles measure temporal pattern of reactive oxygen species production inside cells

Low concentrations of reactive oxygen species, notably hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), mediate various signalling processes in the cell. Production of these signals is highly regulated and a suitable probe is needed to measure these events. Here, we show that a probe based on a single nanoparticle can quantitatively measure transient H(2)O(2) generation in living cells. The Y(0.6)Eu(0.4)VO(4) nanoparticles undergo photoreduction under laser irradiation but re-oxidize in the presence of oxidants, leading to a recovery in luminescence. Our probe can be regenerated and reliably detects intracellular H(2)O(2) with a 30-s temporal resolution and a dynamic range of 1-45 microM. The differences in the timing of intracellular H(2)O(2) production triggered by different signals were also measured using these nanoparticles. Although the probe is not selective towards H(2)O(2), in many signalling processes H(2)O(2) is, however, the dominant oxidant. In conjunction with appropriate controls, this probe is a powerful tool for unravelling pathways that involve reactive oxygen species.