title: Raman spectroscopy for physiological investigations of tissues and cells.
abstract: Raman micro-spectroscopy provides a convenient non-destructive and location-specific means of probing cellular physiology and tissue physiology at sub-micron length scales. By probing the vibrational signature of molecules and molecular groups, the distribution and metabolic products of small molecules that cannot be labeled with fluorescent dyes can be analyzed. This method works well for molecular concentrations in the micro-molar range and has been demonstrated as a valuable tool for monitoring drug-cell interactions. If the small molecule of interest does not contain groups that would allow for a discrimination against cytoplasmic background signals, "labeling" of the molecule by isotope substitution or by incorporating other unique small groups, e.g. alkynes provides a stable signal even for time-lapse imaging such compounds in living cells. In this review we highlight recent progress in assessing the physiology of cells and tissue by Raman spectroscopy and imaging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstr. 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany; Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States; NSF Center for Biophotonics Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, 2700 Stockton Blvd., Suite 1400, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States. Electronic address: thomas.huser@physik.uni-bielefeld.de.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huser
authors.affiliation: NSF Center for Biophotonics Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, 2700 Stockton Blvd., Suite 1400, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States. Electronic address: jwjchan@ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002468:Cell Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D002477:Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Cell physiology; Coherent Raman scattering; Inelastic light scattering; Label-free optical microscopy; Raman scattering; Single cell analysis; Tissue physiology