Real-time vascular and IgA dynamics during Henoch-Schönlein purpura by in vivo fluorescent microscopy

Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is a typical cutaneous immune skin disease, usually diagnosed by invasive biopsy. In this study, we develop a noninvasive optical method by combining in vivo optical clearing, confocal microscopy and immune-staining together to present the real-time in vivo dynamics of blood vessels, IgA molecules, and T cells in a HSP rat model. The small vessels in the skin are found with acute damage and then hyperplasia, which enhances deposition of IgA complexes in blood vessels. The migrating T cells in blood vessels in HSP regions can be detected by setting fast line scanning in this method. Our method provides in vivo vascular, cellular, and molecular dynamics during HSP development and is thus of great potential in research and diagnosis of HSP and other skin diseases.