Fluorescence and Raman Spectrometry of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Biological Systems

Fluorescence and Raman spectrometry were employed for the study of interactions of benzo[a]pyrene and pyrene with heme proteins in the presence of phospholipids. Since BP is asymmetrical and pyrene is symmetrical, dual maxima bands appear in the excimer of BP molecules and one single band in the excimer of pyrene. The metabolized BP molecules may mainly derive from the bilayer surface and with a proper orientation. BP molecules in other sites in the membrane will have to be transferred to these sites in order to be metabolized.