Abstract
We describe steady state emission spectra and fluorescent decay times from highly purified solutions of human hemoglobin, and the precautions necessary to obtain reliable measurements on the highly quenched intrinsic tryptophan emission. Hemoglobin displays a wide range of decay times (10 ps to 8 ns). The ps component are probably due to Hb itself, and the ns components are probably due to impurities. The ps emission appears to have emission maxima near 320 nm, which is characteristic of tryptophan residues which are shielded from contact with water. The ns components appear to have emission maxima near 340 nm. Our results indicate that the intrinsic emission of Hb can be a useful probe for its functional behavior.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 192-199 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering |
Volume | 909 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 24 Jun 1988 |