Polarized Raman microscopy imaging: Capabilities and challenges for cancer research

This study reveals that PRS has better diagnostic potential than the conventional Raman spectroscopic technique. The Raman images of depolarization coefficients give an insight of the modifications of symmetry, orientation, structure and disorder that accompany the transformation of normal cells into cancer cells. In contrast, the isotropic Raman images remove orientational and conformational disorder and provides information on purely vibrational effects, mainly vibrational dephasing. The Raman isotropic lines becomes narrower and the contrast in the isotropic Raman images increases.