title: Theoretical analysis on ratiometric fluorescent indicators caused biased estimates of intracellular free calcium concentrations.
abstract: Ratiometric fluorescent calcium indicator dyes have been widely used for the study of the role of Ca2+ in cell physiopathology. Although these ratiometric dyes offer several advantages over others, they suffer some drawbacks which cause serious errors in measurement of intracellular Ca2+ concentration, [Ca2+]i. The present study systematically analyzes theoretical reasons and technical sources of discrepancies occurring in the measurement of the characteristics of the agonists-induced cells [Ca2+]i. In order to avoid the errors and achieve the accurate determination of [Ca2+]i, this study proposes solutions and suggests some critical measures in both theoretical and technical aspects. Therefore, this analysis can be a valuable tool in clarifying proper usages of fluorescent dyes for [Ca2+]i measurements.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Ion Beam Bioengineering, Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 1126, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China.
authors.forename: Zhiwen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Liangdeng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Zengliang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D002118:Calcium