---------------------- Forwarded by Christopher S Boyce/BII on 08/14/2000
02:45 PM ---------------------------
Christopher S Boyce
08/14/2000 10:09 PM
To: cyto-inbox
cc:
Subject: Re: autofluorescence and drugs (Document link: Christopher S
Boyce)
Jenny and Howard,
An interesting article about accumulation of caretenoids in lymphocytes.
G. J. Puppels, H.S.P. Garritsen, J.A. Kummer, J. Greve. Carotenoids
Located in Human Lymphocyte Subpopulations and Natural Killer Cells by
Raman Microspectroscopy. Cytometry 14:251-256, 1993.
I have often wondered about this.
It is possible a whole range or pigments derived from foods may traffic
within cells. So I wonder if a question to the pateint about eating habits
might be useful? Some health foods include large doses of Chlorella,
and/or blue-green algae, both of which contain pigments that could absorb
at a max between 435-475 nm and fluoresce around 675 nm.
(Chlorophyl a). Plants contain Chlorophyl a and b and if consumed enough
(say by a cancer patient exploring the
virtues of carrot/beet/celery juice) might cause autofluorescence. Off
hand, I do not know the spectrum of Carotenoids.
Another thought--------
I have had some experience with transfections. Unstained, cultured cells
that have a "vector alone" (virus or plasmid) often show higher FL than an
unstained, untransfected cell. This could also be seen in a slight
increase in SSC as well. If your patient is on anti-retroviral
therapy---I assume a virus is the pt. problem---perhaps the virus itself
may be causing the autofluorescence.
Any comments from clinicians out there on this?
Christopher
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