Monitoring the refractive index of tissue models using light scattering spectroscopy

In this work, we report the application of Raman microspectroscopy for analysis of the refractive index of a range of tissue phantoms. Using both a custom-developed setup with visible laser source and a commercial micro-spectrometer with near infrared laser, we measured the Raman spectra of gelatin hydrogels at various concentrations. By building a calibration curve from measured refractometry data and Raman scattering intensity for different vibrational modes of the hydrogel, we determined the refractive indices of the gels from their Raman spectra, with approximately the same accuracy as that of refractometry measurements with an Abbe refractometer. This work highlights the importance of a correlative approach through Brillouin-Raman microspectroscopy for the mechano-chemical analysis of biologically relevant samples.