Chapters authored
Lymphocytes Studied by Raman Microspectroscopy
The Raman spectroscopy detects the interaction of the incident light with the electrons in the illuminated molecule. The use of Raman spectroscopy to investigate biological molecular structures and the recognition of their particular functional groups have been growing rapidly, and nowadays the use of Raman spectroscopy has expanded toward the cellular level. The activation of lymphocytes occurs when they are exposed to viruses or other foreign antigens. We have observed that Raman spectroscopy can be used to screen the activation of lymphocytes during viral infection. We have indicated the bands that reveal differences between activated and intact cells. The most important marker of the lymphocyte activation process is the prominent 521 cm−1 disulfide band which marks the immunoglobulin formation. The blood from the patients with viral infections, e.g., mononucleosis, and from healthy volunteers was obtained by venipuncture during hospitalization in the University Hospital in Kraków.
Part of the book: Lymphocytes