Red blood cell and hemoglobin auto-fluorescence as potential long-term glycemic marker

Abstract

In this study, we explore the use of red blood cell and hemoglobin autofluorescence ad potential long-term biomarkers for diabetes. We found that under 370 nm excitation, both red blood cells (RBC) and Hb fluorescence in the 420-600 nm region. At early time points following diabetic induction in rats, autofluorescence increases in lysed Hb is more dramatic compared to that of RBC. Moreover, we found significance variance of Hb autofluorescence despite relatively constant HbA1c levels. The results of our study suggest that with additional development, RBC and hemoglobin autofluorescence from may be used as long-term glycemic markers for monitoring diabetic complications in the clinical setting.