Current Methods Used in the Protein Carbonyl Assay

Some oxidative stress effects, such as lipid peroxidation or the DNA damage, have been extensively assessed and reliable biomarkers have been associated to characterize the degree of the damage, while the attack of reactive oxygen species on proteins and the formation of protein carbonyls were investigated only in the recent years. Taking into account that protein carbonyls may play an important role in the early diagnosis of pathologies associated with reactive oxygen species overproduction, a robust and reliable method to quantify the protein carbonyls in complex biological samples is also required. This minireview investigates up-to-date methods used for the separation, identification and quantitative assay of protein carbonyls, a special attention being paid to the advantages and disadvantages of each technique.