Spectral-luminescent parameters of the amniotic fluid

Absorption and luminescence excitation and emission spectra of the amniotic fluid from females with a normal course of pregnancy and with fetation anomalies are investigated. It is shown that the amniotic fluid manifests, in addition to an intense UV luminescence, a luminescence in the range of 380–650 nm. The first luminescence peak with λ_max = 430–450 nm is most likely due to the presence of NADH₂ and hormones in the amniotic fluid, whereas the peak located at longer wavelengths with λ_max = 520–540 nm is due to pigments (bilirubin, etc.). Differences in absorption spectra of the amniotic fluid in the case of the normal course of pregnancy and upon its pathologies are established. Luminescence emission and excitation spectra of the amniotic fluid in cases of intrauterine fetation pathologies are shifted toward the longwave region compared to normal pregnancy cases. It is concluded that the spectral-luminescent analysis of the amniotic fluid can be used as an additional rapid test for monitoring of intrauterine fetal pathologies. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 65, No. 6, pp. 939–942, November–December, 1998.