Oxidative stress ecology and the d-ROMs test: facts, misfacts and an appraisal of a decade’s work

Costantini, D. (2016) Oxidative stress ecology and the d-ROMs test: facts, misfacts and an appraisal of a decade’s work. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 70(5), pp. 809-820. (doi: 10.1007/s00265-016-2091-5)

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Abstract

In recent years, behavioural ecologists have taken to studying oxidative stress in free-ranging organisms because it has been proposed as an important mediator of life-history trade-offs. A plethora of methodological approaches to quantify biomarkers associated with oxidative stress exist, each one with its own strengths and weaknesses. The d-ROMs test has emerged as one of the favoured assays in ecological studies because of its reliability, sensitivity to specific perturbations of the organism’s oxidative balance and medical and ecological relevance. Criticisms have been, however, raised about its specificity for oxidative damage. In this article, I have reviewed basic information about the d-ROMs test, its validation, the methodological mistakes made in the studies that attempted to criticise this assay and the application of this assay to ecological studies of oxidative stress. All the direct and indirect evidences show that the d-ROMs test is a valuable assay for the quantification of plasma or serum primary (or early) oxidative damage molecules and, possibly, of other biological matrices and provides ecologically relevant information.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Costantini, Dr David
Authors: Costantini, D.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
Journal Name:Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
Publisher:Springer-Verlag
ISSN:0340-5443
ISSN (Online):1432-0762
Published Online:04 March 2016
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2016 Springer-Verlag
First Published:First published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 70(5):809-820
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher

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