Method for reducing auto-fluorescence signals in confocal Raman microscopy

摘要

The present invention relates to a method for reducing auto-fluorescence signals from a sample tissue in confocal Raman microscopy and to a method for diagnosing skin cancers using the same method. Raman spectroscopy has strong potential for providing non-invasive diagnosis of skin cancer. Auto-fluorescence signals from tissues, which interfere with the Raman signals, were greatly reduced using a confocal slit adjustment. Distinct Raman band differences between normal and BCC tissues for the amide I mode, the amide III mode and the PO₂⁻ symmetric stretching mode, showed that the present invention has strong potential for use as a dermatological diagnostic tool without the need for statistical treatment of spectral data. It was also possible to precisely differentiate BCC tissue from surrounding non-cancerous tissue using the confocal Raman depth profiling technique. According to the present invention, confocal Raman microscopy can provide a novel method for dermatological diagnosis since direct observations of spectral differences between normal and BCC tissues are possible.