Dynamics of hemoglobin in human erythrocytes and in solution: Influence of viscosity studied by ultrafast vibrational echo experiments

The vibrational dephasing of the CO stretching mode of hemoglobin-CO (HbCO) inside living human erythrocytes in liquid solutions and in a glassy matrix is measured using the ultrafast spectrally resolved stimulated vibrational echo experiments. It is demonstrated that the dynamics of the protein are same inside erythrocytes and in aqueous solution and are independent of the viscosity.