How is cellular stress measured?

There are several methods to measure cellular stress. They can be measured directly through  reactive oxygen species (ROS), measuring the ensuing damage to biomolecules, and detecting antioxidant levels. Scientists prefer to measure the damage on DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids, or other biomolecules over measuring ROS directly. This is because a lot of ROS are highly unstable and hard to measure directly. In contrast, markers of damage are very stable and allow for a more definitive method to measure cellular stress.

Scientists also prefer the method of detecting antioxidant levels (as well as redox molecules), which counterbalance ROS in the cell. Assays are used to measure the antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase and catalase. These assays can also test the antioxidant capacity of specific biomolecules.