Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 10, 2026
Pharmacologic Induction of Epidermal Melanin and Protection Against Sunburn in a Humanized Mouse Model
Published on: September 7, 2013
Location of anthralin radical generation in mouse skin by UV-A irradiation: an estimation using microscopic EPR
Ken-ichiro Matsumoto1, Sayo Kawai, Colin F Chignell
1Department of Biofunction Science, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Abstract:
In vivo location of the anthralin radical generated in mouse skin by ultraviolet A (UV-A) irradiation was estimated by microscopic electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectral-spatial imaging. An X-band EPR spectrometer equipped with specially designed high-power imaging coils and a TE-mode cavity was employed. The maximum field gradient used in this study was 6.77 mT/mm. Anthralin was applied to the dorsal skin of live mice, which were then exposed to UV-A irradiation. A broad singlet EPR spectrum (peak-to-peak line width = 0.6 mT and g = 2.004) was obtained. Microscopic EPR spectral-spatial imaging of the skin tissue showed that the anthralin radical was located mainly in the epidermis (27 microm from the skin surface). This result was consistent with the finding that the proportions of the radical in the dermis and epidermis were about 15% and 85%, respectively.
