Applications of Raman spectroscopy in the diagnosis and monitoring of neurodegenerative diseases

Abstract

Raman scattering is an inelastic light scattering that occurs in a manner reflective of the molecular vibrations of molecular structures and chemical conditions in a given sample of interest. Energy changes in the scattered light can be assessed to determine the vibration mode and associated molecular and chemical conditions within the sample, providing a molecular fingerprint suitable for sample identification and characterization. Raman spectroscopy represents a particularly promising approach to the molecular analysis of many diseases owing to clinical advantages including its instantaneous nature and associated high degree of stability, as well as its ability to yield signal outputs corresponding to a single molecule type without any interference from other molecules as a result of its narrow peak width. This technology is thus ideally suited to the simultaneous assessment of multiple analytes. Neurodegenerative diseases represent an increasingly significant threat to global public health owing to progressive population aging, imposing a severe physical and social burden on affected patients who tend to develop cognitive and/or motor deficits beginning between the ages of 50 and 70. Owing to a relatively limited understanding of the etiological basis for these diseases, treatments are lacking for the most common neurodegenerative diseases, which include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The present review was formulated with the goal of briefly explaining the principle of Raman spectroscopy and discussing its potential applications in the diagnosis and evaluation of neurodegenerative diseases, with a particular emphasis on the research prospects of this novel technological platform.

Unveiling brain disorders using liquid biopsy and Raman spectroscopy

“…By tuning the laser wavelength to align with the absorption bands of target molecules, researchers can enhance Raman signals, achieving higher sensitivity and specificity for detecting disease-related biomolecules, such as amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides in AD and other brain disorders. 44,56 RRS enhances Raman signals by matching the excitation energy of incident photons to the electronic transition energy of target molecules, increasing the efficiency of Raman scattering and enabling the selective detection of disease-specific biomolecules. By selectively enhancing Raman signals from specific molecular vibrations through laser tuning, RRS provides detailed structural information about proteins and other key biomolecules involved in NDs and brain tumors, offering insights into changes in protein conformation, aggregation, and interactions, hallmarks of many brain disorders.…”