Microrespirometers

A microrespirometer is a laboratory instrument used to measure the rate of oxygen consumption or carbon dioxide production by small biological samples. These devices are typically designed for high-throughput screening or for studying organisms or cells that are very small or have low metabolic rates. The "micro" designation refers to the small volume of the reaction chamber and the small quantities of sample required.

The principle behind microrespirometry relies on detecting changes in gas partial pressures. In an oxygen consumption measurement, as an organism or cell consumes oxygen, the pressure within the sealed chamber decreases. Conversely, if measuring CO2 production, the pressure will increase. Sensitive transducers, such as electrochemical sensors or optical sensors, are employed to monitor these minute pressure changes over time.

Microrespirometers often feature multiple independent chambers, allowing for parallel experiments with different samples or conditions. This enables researchers to compare metabolic activity under various treatments or to assess the respiration of numerous individual samples simultaneously. Common applications include studies in toxicology, environmental science, and cellular metabolism, particularly when working with microorganisms, tissues, or small invertebrates where traditional respirometry methods would be impractical due to sample size or volume requirements.