Detection of coronary atherosclerotic plaques with superficial proteoglycans and foam cells using real-time intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy.

Objectives: The protein components of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), oxidized LDL and proteoglycans such as versican contain tryptophan, an amino acid with characteristic fluorescence features at 308 nm excitation wavelength. We hypothesize that intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy at 308 nm excitation wavelength IFS308, a method suitable for clinical use, can identify coronary artery lesions with superficial foam cells (SFCs) and/or proteoglycans.

Methods: We subjected 119 human coronary artery specimens to in vitro fluorescence and reflectance spectroscopy.

Intrinsic fluorescence and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy identify superficial foam cells in coronary plaques prone to erosion.

Objective: Foam cells perform critical functions in atherosclerosis. We hypothesize that coronary segments with superficial foam cells (SFCs) situated in a region of interest with a depth of 200 mum can be identified using intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy (IFS) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). This is a key step in our ongoing program to develop a spectroscopic technique for real-time in vivo diagnosis of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque.