Quantification of the wound healing using polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Regenerative Medicine
• Wound Healing Research

Background:

• Wound healing is a complex biological process influenced by various factors, including drug interventions.
• Accurate monitoring of wound healing and drug efficacy is crucial for therapeutic development.
• Current methods may have limitations in real-time, non-invasive assessment of tissue regeneration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) for monitoring wound healing.
• To assess the impact of specific drugs on collagen regeneration during the healing process.
• To compare PS-OCT findings with histopathology for validation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a PS-OCT system for in vitro and in vivo studies on rabbit ear biopsy lesions.
• Administered sphingosylphosphorylcholine (healing promoter) and tetraacetylphytosphingosine (healing inhibitor).
• Quantified phase retardation values related to collagen morphology changes over 14 days.

Main Results:

• PS-OCT successfully visualized collagen fiber regeneration in wound sites.
• Phase retardation variations correlated with the effects of different drug treatments.
• Demonstrated distinct PS-OCT signatures for promoting and inhibiting drug effects on healing.

Conclusions:

• PS-OCT is a promising non-invasive tool for visualizing collagen fiber regeneration.
• PS-OCT enables quantification of drug effects on the wound healing process.
• This technique can aid in the development and assessment of novel wound healing therapies.