Measuring acne using Coproporphyrin III, Protoporphyrin IX, and lesion-specific inflammation: an exploratory study

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Biophotonics
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) produce porphyrins, but fluorescence imaging has not correlated well with acne severity.
• Previous acne research overlooked specific spectral properties of P. acnes-synthesized porphyrins.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between Coproporphyrin III (CpIII) and Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) fluorescence, inflammation, and clinical acne signs.
• To evaluate the sensitivity of these measurements in tracking treatment effects of Benzoyl Peroxide (BPO) and Clindamycin+BPO.

Main Methods:

• Exploratory study comparing investigator lesion counts with fluorescence and inflammation measurements from VISIA®-CR images in 24 acne subjects.
• Analysis focused on comedonal and papulopustular lesions, correlating CpIII and PpIX fluorescence with lesion counts and inflammation.

Main Results:

• CpIII fluorescence strongly correlated with comedonal lesion counts (r=0.69-0.83).
• PpIX fluorescence showed weak correlation with comedonal lesions (r=0.19-0.27).
• Acne lesion-specific inflammation strongly correlated with papulopustular lesion counts (r=0.76).

Conclusions:

• CpIII fluorescence and inflammation measurements can objectively indicate comedonal and papulopustular acne severity.
• These novel measurements may offer superior sensitivity and specificity for evaluating acne treatment efficacy and lesion progression.