Cell apoptosis specific marker found by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

We used Fourier Transibrm Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) combined with flow cytometry to study the apoptosis and necrosis processes in Jurkat, a lymphocyte cell lìne. The apoptosis was induced in the cells by a chemical agent, the actinomycin D, while the necrosis was induced lowering the pH value to 4.2. The apoptotic events were analysed by flow cytometry (using annexin V and propidium iodide) and contemporary monitored by FTIR spectroscopy at diflèrent times after the treatment. This comparison allowed us to find in the IR spectrum, between 3000 cm 1 and 2800 c--1, a "marker band" of the apoptosis corresponding to the exposure of phosphatidylserine on the outer leaflet of the membrane. A marker of a specific cellular process obtained by using a non-destructive technique such as FTIR spectroscopy, has a great signifìcance in the diagnostic medicine providing a tool for detecting pathologies in vivo.