title: Scoring of collagen organization in healthy and diseased human dermis by multiphoton microscopy.
abstract: We have used nonlinear imaging to evaluate collagen organization in connective tissue ex-vivo samples. Image analysis methods were tested on healthy dermis, normal scars, and keloids. The evaluation of the second harmonic to autofluorescence aging index of dermis (SAAID) has allowed a first characterization of tissues by scoring the collagen/elastin content. Further analyses on collagen morphology in healthy dermis and keloids were performed by image-pattern analysis of SHG images. The gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) analysis method has allowed classification of different tissues based on the evaluation of geometrical arrangement of collagen fibrillar bundles, whereas a pattern analysis of the FFT images has allowed the discrimination of different tissues based on the anisotropy of collagen fibers distribution. This multiple scoring method represents a promising tool to be extended to other collagen disorders, as well as to be used in in-vivo skin-imaging applications.
authors.affiliation: L.E.N.S. and Department of Physics, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy. rikka@lens.unifi.it
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cicchi
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kapsokalyvas
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: De Giorgi
authors.forename: Vincenza
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Maio
authors.forename: Annelies
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Wiechen
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Massi
authors.forename: Torello
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lotti
authors.forename: Francesco S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Pavone
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D016880:Anisotropy; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000473:pathology*; D003094:Collagen; D020405:Dermis / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007627:Keloid / Q000473:pathology*; D008853:Microscopy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D036641:Microscopy, Fluorescence, Multiphoton / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen