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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Virus and Prion Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #235674
Title: A comparison of the fluorescence spectra of murine and bovine central nervous system (CNS) and other tissues

Author
item ADHIKARY, RAMKRISHNA - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item Schonenbrucher, Holger
item Rasmussen, Mark
item Casey, Thomas
item Hamir, Amirali
item Kehrli Jr, Marcus
item Richt, Juergen
item PETRICH, JACOB - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Photochemistry and Photobiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/6/2009
Publication Date: 11/20/2009
Citation: Adhikary, R., Schonenbrucher, H.H., Rasmussen, M.A., Casey, T., Hamir, A.N., Kehrli Jr, M.E., Richt, J., Petrich, J.W. 2009. A Comparison of the Fluorescence Spectra of Murine and Bovine Central Nervous System (CNS) and Other Tissues. Photochemistry and Photobiology. 85(6):1322-1326.

Interpretive Summary: Ensuring removal of central nervous system (CNS) tissue at slaughter time from cattle older than 30 months is an important required safeguard for preventing potential contamination of food with the infectious agent believed to causes Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). We have examined the potential of a fluorescent pigment, lipofuscin, as a marker for virtually instantaneous detection of CNS materials on carcasses or beef products that can be used to ensure removal during slaughter. Here we describe a comparison of the distribution of light fluoresced off of various cattle and mouse tissues following their illumination with selected wavelengths of light. This was done in order to determine whether these spectral features are conserved between mice and cattle to determine whether an appropriate and practical laboratory small animal model system could be identified to be used for investigation of tissue and age related fluorescence signal patterns. We report here that, brain and spinal cord of mice provide fluorescence spectra similar to those of bovine brain and spinal cord and conclude that mouse CNS tissue is suitable model system for bovine CNS tissue for development of fluorometric CNS detection assays. This is useful information for scientists, regulatory agencies, and the meat industry whose goals are to ensure the removal of CNS from animal older than 30 months and for preventing CNS contamination of human food.

Technical Abstract: Here we describe a comparison of the fluorescence spectra of bovine tissues with murine tissues in order to determine whether spectral features are conserved and whether an appropriate and practical laboratory small animal model system could be identified to be used for investigation of tissue and age related fluorescence signal patterns. Recently it has been shown that spectral signatures of lipofuscin have enabled the detection of bovine central nervous system (CNS) tissue in meat products with high sensitivity (J. Agric. Food Chem. 2008, 56, 6220–6226). Here we report that, brain and spinal cord of mice provide fluorescence spectra similar to those of bovine brain and spinal cord. Interestingly, the fluorescence spectra from murine non-CNS tissues are significantly different from those of bovine non-CNS tissues. It is concluded that murine CNS tissue is an appropriate model system for bovine CNS tissue for development of fluorometric CNS detection assays.