Evaluation of Oxidative Stress in Biological Samples Using the Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances Assay

So the TBARS assay is best used for intra-laboratory general assessment of oxidative stress in biological samples, in which relative TBARS levels are directly compared between samples that were stored and processed together. These assay has an extremely low cost of about 3 for testing 96 samples compared to commercially available kits, which costs about 400, and permit only a single batch samples to be analyzed. The method described here can be further adapted for specific applications including biospecimens stability studies, and those for which the addition of antioxidants or other types of sample preservatives prior to analysis is appropriate or mandated.

To avoid highly variable results, prepare fresh reagents, making sure that the pH is not greater than four for the color reagents and remove any bubbles in the nidese swell plate before measuring the absorbance. Begin by preparing a 0.8%aqueous solution of thiobarbituric acid. Prepare a five molar sodium hydroxide solution by dissolving four grams of sodium hydroxide beads in 20 milliliters of water.