Characteristics of scar margin dynamic with time based on multiphoton microscopy

Advances in the Application of Noninvasive Skin Imaging Techniques in Acne Scars

Acne scarring is a common sequela of acne vulgaris, which seriously affects facial esthetics. The treatment options for acne scars vary depending on the development stage, color, type, and location of scarring. The objective and precise assessment of acne scars is a prerequisite for treatment, and it is also an important means of monitoring the treatment effect. The traditional methods to evaluate the types and severity grade of acne scars are primarily based on subjective assessment by physicians, which lacks objectivity and accuracy. Novel noninvasive skin imaging techniques, such as skin surface imaging analysis systems, dermoscopy, reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM), high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and multiphoton tomography (MPT), provide new tools for the rapid and objective assessment of acne scars. This article reviews the progress of skin imaging techniques in the diagnosis, classification, and efficacy evaluation of acne scars.

Submicron resolution techniques: Multiphoton microscopy in skin disease

Non-invasive optical examination plays a crucial role in various aspects of dermatology, such as diagnosis, management and research. Multiphoton microscopy uses a unique submicron technology to stimulate autofluorescence (AF), allowing for the observation of cellular structure, assessment of redox status and quantification of collagen fibres. This advanced imaging technique offers dermatologists novel insights into the skin's structure, positioning it as a promising 'stethoscope' for future development in the field. This review provides an overview of multiphoton microscopy's principles, technology and application in studying normal skin, tumour and inflammatory diseases, as well as collagen-related and pigmentary diseases.

Multiphoton microscopic imaging of rabbit dorsal skin

Rabbits are often preferred to be experimental animals during the skin research. The visualizing and understanding the full-thickness structure of rabbit skin has significance in biology, medicine, and animal husbandry. In this study, multiphoton microscopy (MPM) was employed to examine the rabbit skin on the back, which was based on second harmonic generation and two-photon excited fluorescence. High-resolution images were achieved from the fresh, unfixed, and unstained tissues, showing detailed microstructure of the skin without the administration of exogenous contrast agents. The morphology and distribution of the main components of epidermis and dermis, such as keratin, collagen fibers, elastic fibers, and hair follicles, can be distinctly identified in MPM images. Since the changes in these components are tightly related to skin diseases and wound healing, the noninvasive nature of MPM enables it become a valuable tool in skin research for detecting and monitoring.

Application of Multiphoton Microscopy in Dermatological Studies: a Mini-Review

This review summarizes the historical and more recent developments of multiphoton microscopy, as applied to dermatology. Multiphoton microscopy offers several advantages over competing microscopy techniques: there is an inherent axial sectioning, penetration depths that compete well with confocal microscopy on account of the use of near-infrared light, and many two-photon contrast mechanisms, such as second-harmonic generation, have no analogue in one-photon microscopy. While the penetration depths of photons into tissue are typically limited on the order of hundreds of microns, this is of less concern in dermatology, as the skin is thin and readily accessible. As a result, multiphoton microscopy in dermatology has generated a great deal of interest, much of which is summarized here. The review covers the interaction of light and tissue, as well as the various considerations that must be made when designing an instrument. The state of multiphoton microscopy in imaging skin cancer and various other diseases is also discussed, along with the investigation of aging and regeneration phenomena, and finally, the use of multiphoton microscopy to analyze the transdermal transport of drugs, cosmetics and other agents is summarized. The review concludes with a look at potential future research directions, especially those that are necessary to push these techniques into widespread clinical acceptance.

Monitoring wound healing of elastic cartilage using multiphoton microscopy

OBJECTIVE

To demonstrate the ability of multiphoton microscopy (MPM) for monitoring wound healing of elastic cartilage.

METHOD

In a rabbit ear model, four cartilage specimen groups at 1-day, 1-, 4-, 20-week healing time points as well as a normal elastic cartilage were examined with MPM without using labeling agents. MPM images at wound margins were obtained from specimens at different healing stages, compared with the Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stained images. Image analysis was performed to characterize the collagen morphology for quantifying the wound healing progression of elastic cartilage.

RESULTS

MPM provided high-resolution images of elastic cartilage at varying depths. Comparisons of the images of specimens at different healing stages show obvious cell growth and matrix deposition. The results are consistent with the histological results. Moreover, quantitative analysis results show significant alteration in the collagen cavity size or collagen orientation index during wound healing of elastic cartilage, indicating the possibility to act as indicators for monitoring wound healing.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggested that MPM has the ability to monitor the wound healing progression of elastic cartilage, based on the visualization of cell growth and proliferation and quantitative characterization of collagen morphology during wound healing.

Character of skin on photo-thermal response and its regeneration process using second-harmonic generation microscopy

Quantitative characterization of skin collagen on photo-thermal response and its regeneration process is an important but difficult task. In this study, morphology and spectrum characteristics of collagen during photo-thermal response and its light-induced remodeling process were obtained by second-harmonic generation microscope in vivo. The texture feature of collagen orientation index and fractal dimension was extracted by image processing. The aim of this study is to detect the information hidden in skin texture during the process of photo-thermal response and its regeneration. The quantitative relations between injured collagen and texture feature were established for further analysis of the injured characteristics. Our results show that it is feasible to determine the main impacts of phototherapy on the skin. It is important to understand the process of collagen remodeling after photo-thermal injuries from texture feature.

Visualization of epidermal and dermal alteration in papulonodular mucinosis by multiphoton microscopy

Papulonodular mucinosis (PM) is a cutaneous clue to the presence and activity of silent lupus erythematosus (LE), but the exact pathogenesis is still under secret. Moreover, the currently available treatments for PM are not satisfactory. To demonstrate the possibility of multiphoton microscopy (MPM) to trace the pathological state of PM and evaluate the treatment efficacy, epidermal and dermal alteration in skin lesion with PM before and after treatment was examined using MPM. Microstructure of epidermis as well as content and distribution of collagen and elastin in dermis were quantified to characterize the pathological states of PM. The results showed significant morphological difference between skin lesion before and after treatment, indicating the possibility of MPM to assess the therapeutic efficacy. With the advancement on MPM miniaturization and enhancement of contrast and depth of imaging, the MPM technique can be applied in in vivo tracking PM formation and progression, and leading the better understanding the PM pathogenesis and mechanism of response to any treatment, helping to establish novel effective therapies for PM.

Quantification of scar margin in keloid different from atrophic scar by multiphoton microscopic imaging

Multiphoton microscopy (MPM) was applied to examine the marginal region at dermis of keloid compared with atrophic scar. High-resolution large-area image showed an obvious boundary at the scar margin and different morphological patterns of elastin and collagen on the two sides, further visualized by the focused three-dimensional images. Content alteration of elastin or collagen between the two sides of boundary was quantified to show significant difference between keloid and atrophic scar. Owing to the raised property of keloid with overproduced collagen on the scar side, the content alteration was positive for elastin and negative for collagen. On the contrary, the content alteration was negative for elastin and positive for collagen in the atrophic scar case due to the atrophic collagen on the scar side. It indicated that examination of the scar margin by MPM may lead a new way to discriminate different types of scars and better understand the scarring mechanisms.