Quantification of phthalocyanine concentration in rat brain using laser-induced flourescence spectroscopy

The goal of this project was to develop a method to non-invasively estimate chloroaluminum sulfonated phthalcyanine (CASP) concentration in rat brain using laser-induced fluorescence. To achieve this goal, three objectives had to be met. First, a system and technique for measurement of the drug fluorescence in rat brain tissue had to be developed. Next, the concentration ofCASP in the brain tissue had to be approximated. This was done using standard chemical extraction methods. Once, the concentration of drug was known, relationship between the measured drug fluorescence and concentration had to be derived. By the completion of these objectives, a noninvasive method for determining drug concentration in rat brain tissue was developed. The area under the drug fluorescence measured from the brain tissue was plotted versus the estimated drug concentration in the tissue. Using least-squares approximation, the relationship between the area under the drug fluorescence and concentration was determined. The r² value for this approximation was 0.97867. Due to the limitations of the chemical extraction technique, this relationship was derived over a small range of concentration. If a more sensitive chemical extraction technique were developed, the range of estimated drug concentration using laser-induced fluorescence technique would be improved.