ATR-FTIR spectroscopy to evaluate serum protein expression in a murine cerebral ischemia model

[Display omitted] •Absorbance in Sham animals was lower than in ischemic and ischemic + EB animals.•Maximum absorbance in ischemic animals occurred at 2 h vs. Sham and ischemic + EB.•Maximum absorbance in ischemic + EB animals occurred at 4 h and 6 h vs. Sham and ischemic. Stroke is a prevalent vascular disease that causes disability and death worldwide. Molecular techniques have been developed to assess serum concentrations of biomarkers associated with this disease, such as some proteins. ATR-FTIR was proposed as an alternative technique to determine protein expression during the early stages of stroke. Serum samples from sham, ischemic, and ischemic treated with estradiol benzoate (EB; as a neuroprotective agent) male rats were evaluated at 0, 2-, 4-, 6-, 12-, and 24-hours post-ischemia. The analysis was developed in the mid-infrared region but mainly focused on the protein region (1500–1700 cm−1), where it was possible to observe the modulation in the absorbance intensity. The peaks at 1545, 1645, 1635, and 1650 cm−1 associated with amide II, amide I, β-sheets, and α-helixes, respectively, were prominent peaks where protein modulation was observed. The results demonstrate that infrared spectroscopy could be a good alternative technique to determine the modulation of protein expression during stroke events.