Vibrational spectroscopy: A novel technique changing the face of clinical diagnosis

Abstract

The application of spectroscopy to provide insight to biological questions bothering on pathology in plant and animal tissues is a rapidly growing field known as biospectroscopy. Biospectroscopy has significantly changed the face of biological and toxicological research, from clinical diagnosis to environmental toxicology. Techniques involved have become potential tools for non-invasive optical tissue diagnosis and have been applied to study a wide variety of pathologic states. Cellular biomolecules absorb the mid-IR (λ = 2 -20 µm) via vibrational transitions that are derived from individual chemical bonds. Within the mid-IR range, 1800 – 900 cm-1 is regarded as the biochemical-cell fingerprint region, because it contains the fundamental vibrational modes of the structures present in biological specimens. The vibrational modes of key chemical bonds may thus be exploited to understand intracellular mechanisms as the biochemical-cell fingerprint of the material under study, is produced with direct association between peaks and chemical bonds. What makes it important for toxicological research in developing countries? 1) The relative simplicity of the technique with regards to the equipment 2) Ease of sample preparation/handling 3) Low cost and potentially reagent free. This technique will prove particularly useful in situations where a broad spectrum, exploratory Tox-Screen is required to observe the effect of a compound on a variety of biomolecules.