Nitric oxide is a hydrophobic radical acting as a physiological mediator in plants. Because of its unique properties, the detection of NO in plant tissues and cell suspensions remains a challenge. For this purpose, several techniques are used, each having certain advantages and limitations such as interferences with other species, questionable sensitivity, and/or selectivity or ex situ measurement. Here we describe a very attractive approach for tracking NO in plant cell suspensions using a NO-sensitive homemade platinum/iridium-based electrochemical microsensor. This method constitutes the absolute real-time proof of the production of free NO in physiological conditions.
Keywords: Electrochemical detection; Homemade electrode; Nitric oxide; Plant cell suspensions.