Background: The authors hypothesized that the cell redox state might be modified during microbial and viral infections. To detect and evaluate changes in astroglial cell redox state, rat C6 glioma cells after exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or after herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) inoculation were used. Redox state modification of glioma cells was determined by the change in menadione-induced superoxide yield.
Material/Methods: Menadione-induced superoxide formation was registered by the lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence (CL) method.
Results: The results demonstrate that exposure of C6 glioma cells to LPS for 24 hours resulted in a dose-dependent increase in the mitotic index and integral intensity of menadione-induced lucigenin-enhanced CL. Menadione-induced ROS generation in C6 cells during HSV-1 infection changed depending on the time after HSV-1 inoculation.
Conclusions: The redox state of astroglial cells is modified during microbial and viral infections. The use of redox-active quinones is an informative model for determining cell redox state change and analyzing cells’ functional state.

Keywords: Mitosis, Oxidation-Reduction, Luminescence, Lipopolysaccharides - metabolism, Kinetics, Herpesvirus 1, Human - metabolism, Glioma - virology, Bacterial Infections - metabolism, Astrocytes - metabolism, Acridines - pharmacology, Virus Diseases - metabolism, Vitamin K 3 - pharmacology