Iterative optical technique for detecting anti-leishmania nanoparticles in mouse lesions

Area of Science:

• Biomedical optics
• Nanotechnology
• Dermatology

Background:

• Topical nanoparticle (NP) drug delivery requires methods to assess skin penetration depth.
• Current imaging techniques lack the resolution for precise NP localization in thin skin layers.
• Safety concerns necessitate noninvasive tools for evaluating NP distribution without contrast agents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the iterative multi-plane optical property extraction (IMOPE) technique for noninvasive detection of iron-based NPs.
• To evaluate the penetration depth of topical NPs in leishmaniasis lesions.
• To investigate the influence of lesion size on NP detection.

Main Methods:

• Developed and applied the nanophotonics iterative multi-plane optical property extraction (IMOPE) technique.
• Examined optical properties of skin layers (epidermis, dermis, subcutaneous fat, muscle) before and after NP drug administration.
• Utilized mice models with leishmaniasis lesions at different disease stages.

Main Results:

• Successfully detected iron-based NPs in the epidermis (∼13µm) and dermis (∼160µm) of mouse lesions.
• Observed NP presence in lesions at two and four weeks post-infection.
• Found that larger lesions showed a greater signal for the topical drug using IMOPE.

Conclusions:

• The noninvasive IMOPE technique enables detection and depth assessment of topical iron-based NPs in skin.
• This method provides valuable insights into drug penetration in leishmaniasis lesions.
• IMOPE offers a promising tool for evaluating topical NP-based therapies and addressing safety concerns.