ABSTRACT
Purpose:
Chironomus hemoglobin is known to exhibit higher
gamma radiation resistance compared to
human hemoglobin. In the present study, we have introduced a sensitive
method to analyze
radiation-induced alterations in
Chironomus hemoglobin using Vibrational
spectroscopy and further highlighting its potential for
monitoring radiotoxicity in aquatic
environments. Materials and
methods:
Vibrational spectroscopic
methods such as Raman and FT-IR
spectroscopy were used to capture the distinctive chemical signature of
Chironomus hemoglobin (ChHb) under both
in vitro and in vivo conditions. Any
radiation dose-dependent shifts could be analyzed
Human hemoglobin (HuHb) as standard reference.
Results:
Distinctive Raman peak detected at 930 cm-1 in (ChHb) was attributed to C-N stretching in the heterocyclic ring surrounding the
iron atom, preventing
heme degradation even after exposure to 2400â¯Gy
dose. In contrast, for (HuHb), the transition from deoxy-
hemoglobin to met-
hemoglobin at 1210 cm-1 indicated a disruption in
oxygen binding after exposure to 1200â¯Gy
dose. Furthermore, while ChHb exhibited a consistent peak at 1652 cm-1 in FT-IR
analysis, HuHb on the other
hand, suffered damage after gamma irradiation.
Conclusion:
The findings suggest that vibrational spectroscopic
methods hold significant potential as a sensitive tool for detecting
radiation-induced molecular alterations and damages.
Chironomus hemoglobin, with its robust interaction of the
pyrrole ring with Fe, serves as a reliable
bioindicator molecule to detect
radiation damage using vibrational spectroscopic
method.
