ABSTRACT
Purpose: To investigate the biochemical characteristics in experimental keratomycosis by Raman spectroscopy analysis in vitro and in vivo.
Methods: Raman spectroscopy was used to analyze the biochemical characteristics of cultured mouse keratocytes stimulated by Fusarium solani suspension in vitro, and the infected cornea of Fusarium solani keratitis of mice.
Results: The peak intensities at 1005, 1186, 1311, 1449 and 1657 cm–1, which represented phenylalanine, tyrosine, nucleic acid bases, phospholipids and α-helix, were decreased in the infected keratocytes compared with the control keratocytes. The consistency of Raman spectra between the infected cornea tissue and the control cornea tissue was high. However, the intensity of some peaks declined, especially at 853, 940 and 1244 cm–1, which represent the tyrosine, proline and collagen content, respectively.
Conclusions: After infection with Fusarium solani, the biochemical characteristics of keratocyte and cornea showed a decrease of amino acids, nucleic acid phospholipids and collagen, which may closely relate to the pathophysiology of keratomycosis.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Yulang Lin (the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University) for her laboratory assistance.
Funding
This work was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Beijing, China (grant nos.: 81270976), and the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province, Fuzhou, China (grant nos.: 2013J01296).
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.