The cellular environment of cancerous human tissue. Interfacial and dangling water as a "hydration fingerprint".
Despite a large number of publications, the role of water in the cellular environment of biological tissue has not been clarified. Characterizing the biological interface is a key challenge in understanding the interactions of water in the tissue. Although we often assume that the properties of the bulk water can be translated to the crowded biological environment, this approach must be considerably revised when considering the biological interface. To our knowledge, few studies have directly monitored the interactions and accumulation of water in the restricted environments of the biological tissue upon realistic crowding conditions. The present study focuses on a molecular picture of water molecules at the biological interface, or specifically, water molecules adjacent to the hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces of normal and cancerous tissues. We recorded and analyzed the IR and Raman spectra of the νs(OH) stretching modes of water at the biological interfaces of the human breast and neck tissues. The results revealed dramatic changes in the water content in the tissue and are potentially relevant to both the fundamental problems of interfacial water modeling and the molecular diagnostics of cancer as a 'hydration fingerprint'. Herein, we will discuss the origin of the vibrational substructures observed for the νs(OH) stretching modes of water, showing that the interfacial water interacting via H-bond with other water molecules and biomolecules at the biological surface and free OH vibration of the dangling water are sensitive indicators of the pathology between the normal (noncancerous) and cancerous tissue and cancer types.
Laboratory of Laser Molecular Spectroscopy, Institute of Applied Radiation Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Wroblewskiego 15, 93-590 Lodz, Poland. Electronic address: abramczy@mitr.p.lodz.pl.
Halina
H
Abramczyk
Laboratory of Laser Molecular Spectroscopy, Institute of Applied Radiation Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Wroblewskiego 15, 93-590 Lodz, Poland.
Beata
B
Brozek-Pluska
Laboratory of Laser Molecular Spectroscopy, Institute of Applied Radiation Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Wroblewskiego 15, 93-590 Lodz, Poland.
Marta
M
Krzesniak
Laboratory of Laser Molecular Spectroscopy, Institute of Applied Radiation Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Wroblewskiego 15, 93-590 Lodz, Poland.
Monika
M
Kopec
Department of Head and Neck Cancer, Medical University of Lodz, Kosciuszki 4, 90-419 Lodz, Poland.
Alina
A
Morawiec-Sztandera
D001940:Breast / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared / Q000379:methods*; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000379:methods*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
D014867:Water
Breast cancer tissue; Dangling water; H-bond interactions in water; IR spectroscopy; Interfacial water; Raman imaging