Direct optical detection of singlet oxygen from a single cell.

Singlet oxygen has been detected in single nerve cells by its weak 1270 nm phosphorescence (a(1)Delta(g)--> X(3)Sigma(g)(-)) upon irradiation of a photosensitizer incorporated in the cell. Thus, one can now consider the application of direct optical imaging techniques to mechanistic studies of singlet oxygen at the single-cell level.