Hyperspectral characterization of fluorophore diffusion in human skin using an sCMOS based hyperspectral camera

Hyperspectral fluorescence imaging is a modality combining high spatial and spectral resolution with increased sensitivity for low photon counts. The main objective of the current study was to investigate if this technique is a suitable tool for characterization of diffusion properties in human skin. This was done by imaging fluorescence from Alexa 488 in ex vivo human skin samples using an sCMOS based hyperspectral camera. Pre-treatment with acetone, DMSO and mechanical micro-needling of the stratum corneum created variation in epidermal permeability between the measured samples. Selected samples were also stained using fluorescence labelled biopolymers. The effect of fluorescence enhancers on transdermal diffusion could be documented from the collected data. Acetone was found to have an enhancing effect on the transport, and the results indicate that the biopolymers might have a similar effect. Hyperspectral fluorescence imaging has thus been proven to be an interesting tool for characterization of fluorophore diffusion in ex vivo skin samples. Further work will include repetition of the measurements in a shorter time scale and mathematical modeling of the diffusion process to determine the diffusivity in skin for the compounds in question.