Molecular spectroscopy in biodiagnostics (from Hippocrates to Herschel and beyond)

doi:10.1016/0022-2860(95)08545-7

Journal of Molecular Structure

Volume 347, 1 March 1995, Pages 187-206

https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-2860(95)08545-7 Get rights and content

Abstract

After two decades of intense research on the spectroscopic properties of biological molecules in isolated systems, infrared spectroscopy is now being applied to the study of human tissues. Extending this approach, it is possible to use the sensitivity of infrared spectroscopy to probe the biochemical events underlying transformation from normal to a diseased state within tissues, and so develop novel diagnostic methods. We highlight some of the areas of research within our group aimed at developing clinically useful methodologies based upon infrared spectroscopy.

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We further compared TWOLips with liposomal vesicles and silica-coated liposomes alone using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and XPS studies. FTIR analysis (Fig. 3D–F) revealed that conventional liposomes displayed the characteristic CO peak of phospholipids at approximately 1740 cm−1 (Mantsch and Jackson, 1995). In contrast, silica-coated liposomes had peaks at 1080 cm−1 and 859 cm−1, which can be attributed to asymmetric SiOSi stretching and SiOSi bending vibrations, respectively (Li et al., 2012).
In oncology, there is a growing need for simpler, more selective methods to deliver drug therapies directly to the tumor site. For combination therapies, simultaneous targeted delivery of multiple drugs would represent a significant improvement. In contrast to previous work that took a de novo approach, we constructed a novel two-in-one liposomal system (TWOLips) from two single drug-loaded liposomes. Our results demonstrated that TWOLips could be prepared by a simple process, through silica coating of one liposome and incubation with the second liposome. TWOLips had a mean diameter of 100 nm, relatively high drug loading rates (96.8% ± 0.9% for doxorubicin and 78.4% ± 1.2% for combretastatin), and high storage stability. TWOLips modification by adding a targeting moiety, an all d-amino acid peptide derived from a natural vascular endothelial growth factor, resulted in strong, selective binding to vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, a tumorigenesis marker, in vitro and in vivo. TWOLips significantly inhibited tumor growth and angiogenesis and enhanced survival in mice with A375 melanoma xenografts. The TWOLips system had a low potential risk of toxicity. Since the stepwise assembly could be carried further (additional drug-loaded liposomes), TWOLips shows potential as a treatment for many cancers, especially those that require multiple drugs.
Lipid quantification method using FTIR spectroscopy applied on cancer cell extracts
2014, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids
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It was more surprising for vincristine. The difference spectrum for vincristine (Fig. 6B) displays a slight shift at the ν(CO) and a decrease of the phosphate vibrations (negative bands around 1240, 1085 and 970 cm− 1 [41,42]) relative to the ν(CO). A hypothesis that would account for these results is that the cells experience a change in the ratio between phospholipids and lipids containing no phosphate (fatty acids, triglycerides) which are not quantified by the approach proposed here.
Reprogramming energy metabolism constitutes one of the hallmarks of cancer. Changes in lipid composition of cell membranes also appear early in carcinogenesis. Quantification of various molecules such as lipids evidences the modifications in the metabolism of tumour cells and can serve as potential markers for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is a powerful tool used for the detection and characterization of various types of molecules. This technique remains an attractive approach as it is cheap (equipment and reagents), does not require high grade solvents or expensive internal standards, equipment is widely available in standard laboratories and the method is robust and suitable for routine analyses. In this work we established partial least square (PLS) models based on FTIR spectra able to quantify lipids in complex mixtures such as cell extracts. In the first part, we attempted to build PLS models with FTIR spectra of 53 mixtures of 8 well-characterized pure lipids. Second, the PLS models were verified using FTIR spectra of mixtures that did not contribute to the calibration. The third step was the validation of the models on lipid cell extracts. In order to obtain reference values for cell extracts, high performance liquid chromatography was carried out by AVANTI. The lipid distribution were globally similar with both techniques, PLS models and chromatography. Finally, the models were applied to determine the lipid composition of cells exposed to four treatments. We could not evidence significant changes in the lipid composition of cell extracts after treatment, in terms of polar head groups. However, the models established in this study appear reliable and could be applied for high throughput measurements. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Tools to study lipid functions.
The application of Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy for the study of diseased central nervous system tissue
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In lipid rich samples, the ester carbonyl band occurring at ~ 1725–1745 cm− 1 is prominent and minor bands at 1650 and 3010 cm− 1 (due to the C = C stretch and (C = C)H stretch, respectively) appear when unsaturated lipids are high (Christy and Egeberg, 2006). Absorption bands arising in the region between 1700 and 1500 cm− 1 are dominated by C = O and C―N stretching vibrations from amide groups, which comprise the peptide linkages in proteins (Byler and Susi, 1986; Mantsch and Jackson, 1995). In many biological samples, the amide I band is the most prominent band in the IR spectrum, arising from the C = O stretch with contributions from the N―H bending of proteins (Byler and Susi, 1986; Mantsch and Jackson, 1995).
In the last two decades the field of infrared spectroscopy has seen enormous advances in both instrumentation and the development of bioinformatic methods for spectral analysis, allowing the examination of a large variety of healthy and diseased samples, including biological fluids, isolated cells, whole tissues, and tissue sections. The non-destructive nature of the technique, together with the ability to directly probe biochemical changes without the addition of stains or contrast agents, enables a range of complementary analyses. This review focuses on the application of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy to analyse central nervous system tissues, with the aim of understanding the biochemical and structural changes associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, multiple sclerosis, as well as brain tumours. Modern biospectroscopic methods that combine FTIR microspectroscopy with bioinformatic analysis constitute a powerful new methodology that can discriminate pathology from normal healthy tissue in a rapid, unbiased fashion, with high sensitivity and specificity. Notably, the ability to detect protein secondary structural changes associated with Alzheimer's plaques, neurons in Parkinson's disease, and in some spectra from meningioma, as well as in the animal models of Alzheimer's disease, transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, and multiple sclerosis, illustrates the power of this technology. The capacity to offer insight into the biochemical and structural changes underpinning aetio-pathogenesis of diseases in tissues provides both a platform to investigate early pathologies occurring in a variety of experimentally induced and naturally occurring central nervous system diseases, and the potential to evaluate new therapeutic approaches.
Structure characterization of protein fractions from lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) seed
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Protein fractionation of lotus seed was carried out and the structures of the protein fractions were studied. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) as well as ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV–vis) was used to investigate changes in molecular structures of the protein fractions. FTIR and UV–vis spectra showed the protein fractions had different protein molecular structures. FTIR spectra showed β-sheets and β-turns as the major secondary structures in the individual protein fractions, while the amounts of α-helix and random coil structures among the different fractions did not significantly change. The amounts of β-sheet structures of albumin and globulin were significantly higher than ones of prolamin and glutelin, implying albumin and globulin had high stabilities because of the high content in β-sheet structures. The observed similarity in the amounts of α-helix, random coil, β-sheet and β-turn structures shared by albumin and globulin indicated that their interior conformations were similar.
FTIR spectral signature of the effect of cardiotonic steroids with antitumoral properties on a prostate cancer cell line
2010, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular Basis of Disease
Citation Excerpt :
More precisely, 19-hydroxy-hellebrin (Fig. 5D) still affected protein region i.e. amide I (1690–1620 cm− 1), amide II (1570–1530) [42,43] and various CH2/3 deformation mode arising from proteins (1468–1455 cm− 1) [42,45]. In addition to these areas, 19-hydroxy-2″-oxovoruscharin (Fig. 5B) also strongly modified the carbonyl associated with phospholipids (~ 1750–1700 cm− 1) [41,42] and regions associated with nucleic acids and glycosylations. As spectrum projection onto PC1 always showed the best separation between untreated and CS incubated cells (Fig. 5), the first principal components of each PCA were displayed on Fig. 6.
We show in the present work that the infrared (IR) spectrum of human PC-3 prostate cancer cells exposed to anticancer drugs could offer a unique opportunity to get a fingerprint of all the major biochemical components (DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids, etc.) present in the cells and to identify with high sensitivity the signature of the metabolic changes induced by anticancer drugs.
We investigated here the FTIR-related signatures of the effect of 4 structurally-related cardiotonic steroids (CS), i.e. ouabain, 19-hydroxy-2″-oxovoruscharin, hellebrin and 19-hydroxy-hellebrin on PC-3 cancer cells incubated between 0 and 36 h in the absence (control) or the presence of the CS. For each molecule a single spectral signature described the largest part of the time dependent modifications with a possible very minor second component. The spectral signatures characterizing the effects of each of the four CS were unique but very similar when compared to the signature of the effect of an intercalating anticancer drug, i.e. doxorubicin, selected as a positive reference compound in our study, suggesting a fully distinct set of cellular perturbations. The current study thus illustrates that Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analyses can be used to identify, among the perturbations induced on a given cancer cell line, the features common to a group of anticancer compounds as well as features specific to every single drug.

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Molecular spectroscopy in biodiagnostics (from Hippocrates to Herschel and beyond)

Abstract

Biochimica Biophysica Acta

Biochimica Biophysica Acta

Spectrochimica Acta Review

Biochem. Biophys. Research Commun.

Infrared Absoprtion Methods for Examining Protein Secondary Structure

Infrared Spectral Studies of DNA Conformations