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Updated: Jan 5, 2026

Detecting, Visualizing and Quantitating the Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species in an Amoeba Model System
Published on: November 5, 2013
Visualising reactive oxygen species in live mammals and revealing of ROS-related system
Jingke Guo1,2, Hang Xu3, Shutao Liu2
1Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhejiang Gongshang University Joint Centre for Food and Nutrition Research, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, China.
Abstract:
Of all the aerobic respiration by-products, cytotoxic superoxide derived from mitochondrial-leaked electrons, is the only one known to be disposed of intracellularly. Is this fate the only destiny for mitochondrial-leaked electrons? When Cynomolgus monkeys were injected intravenously with reactive oxygen species (ROS) indicators, the connective tissues of dura mater, facial fascia, pericardium, linea alba, dorsa fascia and other body parts, emitted specific and intense fluorescent signals. Moreover, the fluorescent signals along the linea alba of SD rats, did not result from the local presence of ROS but from the interaction of ROS indicators with electrons flowing through this tissue. Furthermore, the electrons travelling along the linea alba of mice were revealed to originate from mitochondria. These data suggest that mitochondrial-leaked electrons may be transported extracellularly to a hitherto undescribed system of connective tissues, which is pervasively networked, electrically conductive and metabolically related.

