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Nuclei extracted from lymphocytes coming from normal subjects and from patients affected by chronic lymphatic leukemia (B-CLL) were studied by means of infrared spectroscopy. Substantial spectral differences were found above all in the region of the phosphate-group vibrations of DNA. The ratios of the integrated areas of the bands at 1080 and 1540 cm −1 , due to the symmetrical stretching vibrations of PO 2 − groups and to proteic components, respectively, assume increasing values, which are localized in quite separate ranges, for normal lymphocytes, leukemic lymphocytes, normal nuclei, and leukemic nuclei. These values, indicating a different distribution of DNA and of proteic components between normal and leukemic cells and between normal and leukemic nuclei, may assume a remarkable significance in the precocious diagnosis of leukemia (B-CLL) and in following the course of the disease. In the case of leukemic nuclei, the ratio, in weight, of the two components reaches the value of 1:1.
Benedetti et al. (Wed,) studied this question.