title: Contrasting properties of gold nanoshells and titanium dioxide nanoparticles for optical coherence tomography imaging of skin: Monte Carlo simulations and in vivo study.
abstract: The effect of silica/gold nanoshells and titanium dioxide nanoparticles on the optical properties of skin is studied. By implementing in vivo measurements and Monte Carlo simulations, we analyze the efficiency of using these nanoparticles as contrasting agents for optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging of skin. In vivo measurements are performed on pig skin, where nanoparticle suspension drops have been applied. The identification of skin layers is performed by comparison with corresponding histology images. Experimental results exhibit an increase in contrast of the obtained OCT images after a single nanoparticles application. Multiple applications do not lead to increase in the obtained contrast. To interpret the obtained experimental OCT images of skin and understand the mechanisms of contrasting, a set of Monte Carlo calculations is performed. The results of the simulations exhibit good qualitative agreement with the experimental images, and prove that the contrasting originates from the nanoparticles added, while the contrast of inclusion originates from the absence of nanoparticles within it and their presence in the surrounding area.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 603950 Ulyanov Street, 46, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. mkirillin@yandex.ru
authors.forename: Mikhail
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kirillin
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shirmanova
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sirotkina
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bugrova
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Khlebtsov
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zagaynova
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D003287:Contrast Media; D006046:Gold; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D008954:Models, Biological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology*; D014025:Titanium; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; C009495:titanium dioxide; D006046:Gold; D014025:Titanium