Overcoming Blood's Strong Autofluorescence Improves Trace Detection
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Quick assessment of trace blood components in untreated blood samples is possible with fluorescence tests but, in practice, blood’s strong
Overcoming Blood's Strong Autofluorescence Improves Trace Detection
Complete the form below to unlock access to ALL audio articles.
Quick assessment of trace blood components in untreated blood samples is possible with fluorescence tests but, in practice, blood’s strong autofluorescence interferes with the analysis. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, a research team has now introduced a novel fluorescence probe that quenches this autofluorescence and precisely quantifies traces of hydrogen sulfide, which is an important signal molecule.
Some blood components are present in extremely low concentrations but are anything but unimportant. For example, the toxic gas hydrogen sulfide H2S, which smells of rotten eggs, is an important messenger molecule in the body. It is, among other things, involved in regulating circulation. Patients with cardiovascular diseases usually have a reduced H2S concentration in their blood, whereas patients with colon cancer often have elevated levels. The quantification of this and other trace components are correspondingly helpful in forming a diagnosis, and for the investigation of physiological and pathological relationships.
Fluorescence tests are especially powerful in the analysis of biomolecules. They are inexpensive, uncomplicated, highly sensitive, and can be used for real-time measurements. The problem is that trace components cannot be detected in whole blood samples because blood itself strongly fluoresces, overwhelming weaker signals. Whole blood is therefore centrifuged and only the plasma is analyzed. However, this reduces the concentrations of unstable components and gas molecules, yielding inaccurate results.
A team led by Hongwen Liu and Ronghua Yang at Hunan Normal University (Changsha, China) has now developed a novel technique for fluorescence tests that can succes