Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Minimal Invasive Medical Technologies, Institute of Optical Imaging and Sensing, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
Sci Rep. 2017 Oct 31;7(1):14702. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-14804-z.
Skin tissue consists of collagen and elastic fibres, which are highly susceptible to damage when exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UVR), leading to skin aging and cancer. However, a lack of non-invasive detection methods makes determining the degree of UVR damage to skin in real time difficult. As one of the fundamental features of light, polarization can be used to develop imaging techniques capable of providing structural information about tissues. In particular, Mueller matrix polarimetry is suitable for detecting changes in collagen and elastic fibres. Here, we demonstrate a novel, quantitative, non-contact and in situ technique based on Mueller matrix polarimetry for monitoring the microstructural changes of skin tissues during UVR-induced photo-damaging. We measured the Mueller matrices of nude mouse skin samples, then analysed the transformed parameters to characterise microstructural changes during the skin photo-damaging and self-repairing processes. Comparisons between samples with and without the application of a sunscreen showed that the Mueller matrix-derived parameters are potential indicators for fibrous microstructure in skin tissues. Histological examination and Monte Carlo simulations confirmed the relationship between the Mueller matrix parameters and changes to fibrous structures. This technique paves the way for non-contact evaluation of skin structure in cosmetics and dermatological health.
皮肤组织由胶原纤维和弹性纤维组成，这些纤维在暴露于紫外线辐射（UVR）时极易受损，从而导致皮肤老化和癌症。然而，由于缺乏非侵入性的检测方法，实时确定 UVR 对皮肤的损伤程度变得困难。作为光的基本特征之一，偏振可以用于开发成像技术，提供有关组织结构的信息。特别是，Mueller 矩阵偏振术适用于检测胶原纤维和弹性纤维的变化。在这里，我们展示了一种基于 Mueller 矩阵偏振术的新型、定量、非接触式和原位技术，用于监测 UVR 诱导光损伤过程中皮肤组织的微观结构变化。我们测量了裸鼠皮肤样本的 Mueller 矩阵，然后分析了转换参数，以表征皮肤光损伤和自我修复过程中的微观结构变化。对有和没有使用防晒霜的样本进行比较表明，Mueller 矩阵衍生参数是皮肤组织中纤维微观结构的潜在指标。组织学检查和蒙特卡罗模拟证实了 Mueller 矩阵参数与纤维结构变化之间的关系。该技术为化妆品和皮肤健康中非接触式评估皮肤结构铺平了道路。
