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MO: Fachverband Molekülphysik
MO 1: Biomoleküle
MO 1.6: Talk
Monday, March 10, 2008, 15:30–15:45, 3F
Raman Spectroscopic Investigation of the Influence of Biological Rhythms on Bone Composition of Hamsters — •Jing Shen1,2, Jiming Hu2, Alexander Lerchl1, and Arnulf Materny1 — 1Jacobs University Bremen, Germany — 2Wuhan University, China
Biological rhythms regulate the lives of mammals. It has been reported that changes of the photoperiod result in variations of the melatonin synthesis and sequential changes of body weight, fur color and gonadal function in Djungarian hamsters [1]. Since the hormone level acts as a regulator for the metabolism of bone, certain changes in the bone composition have to be expected. In our study, Raman spectroscopy was applied to observe the differences in bones comparing long- (16L:8D) and short-day (8L:16D) photoperiod Djungarian hamsters. Recently, Raman spectroscopy has been widely used in biology and medicine due to its capability to analyze different bio-components. The method provides information about inorganic component-calcium compounds and organic component-collagen in bone at the same time. Our results show that LD cortical bone samples possess a higher phosphate-to-carbonate ratio in both femur and tibia. It is assumed that the metabolism of the bone is influenced by hormones such as gonadotrophin and melatonin, which are produced in varying amounts during the different photoperiods.
[1] A. Lerchl et al., Neuroendocrinology 57,359 (1993).