Multivariate Curve Resolution Alternating Least Squares Analysis of In Vivo Skin Raman Spectra

In recent years, Raman spectroscopy has been used to study biological tissues. However, the analysis of experimental Raman spectra is still challenging, since the Raman spectra of most biological tissue components overlap significantly and it is difficult to separate individual components. New methods of analysis are needed that would allow for the decomposition of Raman spectra into components and the evaluation of their contribution. The aim of our work is to study the possibilities of the multivariate curve resolution alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) method for the analysis of skin tissues in vivo. We investigated the Raman spectra of human skin recorded using a portable conventional Raman spectroscopy setup. The MCR-ALS analysis was performed for the Raman spectra of normal skin, keratosis, basal cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma, and pigmented nevus. We obtained spectral profiles corresponding to the contribution of the optical system and skin components: melanin, proteins, lipids, water, etc. The obtained results show that the multivariate curve resolution alternating least squares analysis can provide new information on the biochemical profiles of skin tissues. Such information may be used in medical diagnostics to analyze Raman spectra with a low signal-to-noise ratio, as well as in various fields of science and industry for preprocessing Raman spectra to remove parasitic components.