title: Use of multiphoton tomography and fluorescence lifetime imaging to investigate skin pigmentation in vivo.
abstract: There is a growing body of literature showing the usefulness of multiphoton tomography (MPT) and fluorescence lifetime imaging for in situ characterization of skin constituents and the ensuing development of noninvasive diagnostic tools against skin diseases. Melanin and pigmentation-associated skin cancers constitute some of the major applications. We show that MPT and fluorescence lifetime imaging can be used to measure changes in cutaneous melanin concentration and that these can be related to the visible skin color. Melanin in the skin of African, Indian, Caucasian, and Asian volunteers is detected on the basis of its emission wavelength and fluorescence lifetimes in solution and in a melanocyte-keratinocyte cell culture. Fluorescence intensity is used to characterize the melanin content and distribution as a function of skin type and depth into the skin (stratum granulosum and stratum basale). The measured fluorescence intensities in given skin types agree with melanin amounts reported by others using biopsies. Our results suggest that spatial distribution of melanin in skin can be studied using MPT and fluorescence lifetime imaging, but further studies are needed to ascertain that the method can resolve melanin amount in smaller depth intervals.
authors: University of Queensland, School of Medicine, Brisbane, Queensland 4102, Australia. dancik.y@pg.com
authors: Yuri
authors: Y
authors: Dancik
authors: Amandine
authors: A
authors: Favre
authors: Chong Jin
authors: CJ
authors: Loy
authors: Andrei V
authors: AV
authors: Zvyagin
authors: Michael S
authors: MS
authors: Roberts
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002460:Cell Line; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008543:Melanins / Q000378:metabolism; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D036641:Microscopy, Fluorescence, Multiphoton / Q000379:methods*; D061848:Optical Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D055620:Optical Phenomena; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism; D012880:Skin Pigmentation; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D041622:Tomography, Optical / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D008543:Melanins