Revealing the Chemical Composition of Birch Pollen Grains by Raman Spectroscopic Imaging

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Nele Post¹  Claudia Schindler²  Bianca Göhrig²  Harald Lux²  Astrid Heutelbeck²  Jürgen Popp³  Iwan W. Schie³  Clara Stiebing³ 

[1] Department of Medical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Jena, Carl-Zeiss-Promenade 2, 07745 Jena, Germany;Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Jena University Hospital, Erlanger Allee 103, 07747 Jena, Germany;Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz-IPHT), Albert-Einstein-Straße 9, 07745 Jena, Germany;

关键词: vibrational spectroscopy;    Betula;    allergy;    sporopollenin;    multiple curve resolution;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms23095112

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The investigation of the biochemical composition of pollen grains is of the utmost interest for several environmental aspects, such as their allergenic potential and their changes in growth conditions due to climatic factors. In order to fully understand the composition of pollen grains, not only is an in-depth analysis of their molecular components necessary but also spatial information of, e.g., the thickness of the outer shell, should be recorded. However, there is a lack of studies using molecular imaging methods for a spatially resolved biochemical composition on a single-grain level. In this study, Raman spectroscopy was implemented as an analytical tool to investigate birch pollen by imaging single pollen grains and analyzing their spectral profiles. The imaging modality allowed us to reveal the layered structure of pollen grains based on the biochemical information of the recorded Raman spectra. Seven different birch pollen species collected at two different locations in Germany were investigated and compared. Using chemometric algorithms such as hierarchical cluster analysis and multiple-curve resolution, several components of the grain wall, such as sporopollenin, as well as the inner core presenting high starch concentrations, were identified and quantified. Differences in the concentrations of, e.g., sporopollenin, lipids and proteins in the pollen species at the two different collection sites were found, and are discussed in connection with germination and other growth processes.

【 授权许可】

Unknown