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In vivo third-harmonic generation microscopy study on vitiligo patients.
Yi-Hua Liao1, Yu-Hsiang Su2, Yuan-Ta Shih2
1National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Department of D, Taiwan.
Journal of Biomedical Optics
|November 29, 2019
Summary
Third-harmonic generation microscopy (THGM) effectively detects melanin in skin. This study used THGM on vitiliginous skin to assess therapeutic outcomes, showing its potential for evaluating vitiligo treatment efficacy.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Optics
- Dermatology
- Microscopy
Background:
- Melanin in human skin provides strong third-harmonic generation (THG) contrast.
- High melanin concentration in basal cell cytoplasm can obscure other THG signals.
- Understanding THG signals in keratinocytes without melanin influence is crucial for skin studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate THG signals in melanin-lacking keratinocytes using in vivo THG microscopy (THGM).
- To assess the potential of THGM in evaluating therapeutic outcomes for vitiligo.
- To establish THGM as a tool for histopathological assessment of vitiligo treatment efficacy.
Main Methods:
- Conducted in vivo THG microscopy on vitiliginous skin to observe THG signals without melanin interference.
- Quantified the THG-brightness ratio between basal cell cytoplasm and collagen fibers.
- Applied in vivo THGM to histopathologically assess patients with no improvement under narrowband ultraviolet B therapy.
Main Results:
- A THG-brightness ratio of approximately 1.106 was observed between melanin-lacking basal cell cytoplasm and collagen fibers in vitiliginous skin.
- This ratio indicates high sensitivity of THGM for detecting melanin presence.
- THGM demonstrated potential in assisting the histopathological evaluation of vitiligo treatment efficacy.
Conclusions:
- In vivo THG microscopy is highly sensitive to melanin in human skin.
- THGM can differentiate THG signals in the absence of melanin.
- THGM shows significant potential as a tool for assessing the histopathological efficacy of vitiligo treatments.
