Chemiluminescence of lucigenin is dependent on experimental conditions

The aim of the study was to test the effect of experimental conditions such as light radiation and temperature on chemiluminescence (CL) of 10 −2 –10 −5 mol/L lucigenin dissolved in various types of solvents. Irradiation by UV light (280, 297, 313 or 400 nm) induced a signicant increase in CL of lucigenin dissolved in borate buffer. This effect was the most obvious for 10 −2 –10 −3 mol/L lucigenin. All wavelengths used had a similar effect. UV irradiation did not induce changes in the CL activity of lucigenin dissolved in dH 2 O or in dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO). Different results for various solvents were not dependent on pH. The CL activity of 10 −2 mol/L and 10 −3 mol/L lucigenin dissolved in borate buffer increased depending on the solution temperature (25°C, 30°C, 37°C or 40°C) already at the beginning of the analysis, with a further increase during 16 h incubation period. It can be summarized that temperatures higher than 25°C and intensive light irradiation are among those factors which signicantly affect the result of analysis when lucigenin is used as a luminophor. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.