Autofluorescence spectroscopy of cells and tissues as a tool for biomedical diagnosis.

Several biomolecules involved both in the metabolic processes and in the histological organization of cells and tissues are characterized by fluorescence properties that can be exploited to obtain information on the morpho-functional conditions of the biological substrate, suitable for diagnostic applications. An overview of the endogenous fluorophores responsible for the autofluorescence is given concerning the photophysical properties and their dependence on the evolution of the biological condition of cells and tissues.