A useful way to develop effective in vivo skin optical clearing agents

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Optical Imaging
• Dermatology

Background:

• Skin optical clearing enhances optical imaging but lacks efficient screening methods.
• Developing effective in vivo optical clearing agents is crucial for advanced biomedical imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To screen and develop high-efficiency skin optical clearing agents (SOCAs).
• To evaluate the impact of different agents on optical imaging performance and skin properties.

Main Methods:

• Formulated six novel SOCAs by combining polyethylene glycol (PEG)-400 with sucrose (Suc), fructose (Fruc), and penetration enhancers propylene glycol (PG) or thiazone (Thiaz).
• Utilized optical coherence tomography angiography to assess SOCA efficacy on imaging performance, optical properties, refractive index mismatch, and permeability.
• Compared the effectiveness of Thiaz versus PG and Suc versus Fruc in combination with PEG.

Main Results:

• The combination of PEG-400, thiazone (Thiaz), and sucrose (Suc) demonstrated superior performance.
• PEG+Thiaz+Suc significantly enhanced imaging performance by reducing scattering and refractive index mismatch.
• Thiaz proved more effective than PG, and Suc more effective than Fruc, in improving optical clearing.

Conclusions:

• Identified PEG+Thiaz+Suc as the optimal SOCA for improving in vivo optical imaging.
• Established a systematic approach for developing superior SOCAs by modifying existing formulations with more effective reagents.
• Provided a novel optimal SOCA and a methodology for future SOCA development.