Visualizing laser-skin interaction in vivo by multiphoton microscopy.

Recently, multiphoton microscopy has gained much popularity as a noninvasive imaging modality in biomedical research. We evaluate the potential of multiphoton microscopy for monitoring laser-skin reaction in vivo. Nude mouse skin is irradiated with an erbium:YAG laser at various fluences and immediately imaged by a multiphoton microscope. The alterations of cutaneous nonlinear optical properties including multiphoton autofluorescence and second-harmonic generation associated with laser irradiation are evaluated morphologically and quantitatively. Our results show that an erbium:YAG laser at a low fluence can selectively disrupt the stratum corneum, and this alteration may account for the penetration enhancing effect of laser-assisted transcutaneous drug delivery. At a higher fluence, the zone of tissue ablation as well as the disruption of the surrounding stratum corneum, keratinocytes, and dermal extracellular matrix can be better characterized by multiphoton microscopy as compared with conventional histology. Furthermore, the degree of collagen damage in the residual thermal zone can be quantified by second-harmonic generation signals, which have significant difference between control skin, skin irradiated with a 1.5-, 8-, and 16-J/cm2 erbium:YAG laser (P<0.05). We show that multiphoton microscopy can be a useful noninvasive imaging modality for monitoring laser-skin reaction in vivo.

Evaluation of dermal thermal damage by multiphoton autofluorescence and second-harmonic-generation microscopy.

We attempt to characterize the degree of skin thermal damage by using multiphoton microscopy to characterize dermal thermal damage. Our results show that dermal collagen and elastic fibers display different susceptibility to thermal injury. Morphologically, dermal collagen starts to denature at 60 degrees C while fracture and aggregation of elastic fibers do not occur until 65 degrees C. With increasing temperatures, the structures of both elastic and collagen fibers deteriorate. While second-harmonic-generation (SHG) imaging is helpful in identifying the denaturation temperature of collagen, autofluorescence (AF) imaging can help to identify the structural alternations of tissue at higher temperatures when SHG signals have decayed. We also employ a ratiometric approach based on the AF-to-SHG index of dermis (ASID) to characterize the degree of dermal thermal damage. Use of the ASID index can bypass the difficulty in analyzing inhomogeneous dermal fibers and show that dermal collagen starts to denature at 60 degrees C. Our results suggest that with additional developments, multiphoton microscopy has potential to be developed into an effective in vivo imaging technique to monitor and characterize dermal thermal damage.

The effects of depilatory agents as penetration enhancers on human stratum corneum structures.

The depilatory cream thioglycolate has been shown to be an effective enhancer for transdermal drug delivery. However the mechanism remains unknown. In addition, it may also increase the risk of permeation of exogenous toxic agents across skin in depilatory cream users. The aim of this study was to characterize its effect on the transepidermal route and the associated structural alterations. Fresh human skin was treated with a depilatory cream for 10 minutes and then permeated with fluorescent model drugs. The penetration of model drugs was then imaged and quantified. The structural alternations of stratum corneum were assessed by multi-photon imaging, histology, Nile red staining, and electron microscopy. Our results show that penetration of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic model drugs across stratum corneum was enhanced. Disruption of cellular integrity and focal detachment of superficial corneocytes was observed in multi-photon imaging. In addition, nile red staining showed disorganized lipid distribution. Finally, ultrastructural analysis revealed disruption of intracellular keratin matrix, protein cell envelope, and regular lamellar intercellular lipid packing. Because intracellular and intercellular structures were altered, our results suggest that depilatory agents enhance transepidermal drug delivery by reducing resistance in both transcellular and intercellular routes of stratum corneum.