Optical investigation of three-dimensional human skin equivalents: a pilot study

Kallepalli, A. , McCall, B., James, D. B., Junaid, S., Halls, J. and Richardson, M. A. (2020) Optical investigation of three-dimensional human skin equivalents: a pilot study. Journal of Biophotonics, 13(1), e201960053. (doi: 10.1002/jbio.201960053) (PMID:31593618)

Abstract

Human skin equivalents (HSEs) are three‐dimensional living models of human skin that are prepared in vitro by seeding cells onto an appropriate scaffold. They recreate the structure and biological behaviour of real skin, allowing the investigation of processes such as keratinocyte differentiation and interactions between the dermal and epidermal layers. However, for wider applications, their optical and mechanical properties should also replicate those of real skin. We therefore conducted a pilot study to investigate the optical properties of HSEs. We compared Monte Carlo simulations of (a) real human skin and (b) two‐layer optical models of HSEs with (c) experimental measurements of transmittance through HSE samples. The skin layers were described using a hybrid collection of optical attenuation coefficients. A linear relationship was observed between the simulations and experiments. For samples thinner than 0.5 mm, an exponential increase in detected power was observed due to fewer instances of absorption and scattering.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Kallepalli, Dr Akhil
• Authors: Kallepalli, A., McCall, B., James, D. B., Junaid, S., Halls, J., and Richardson, M. A.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
• Journal Name: Journal of Biophotonics
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 1864-063X
• ISSN (Online): 1864-0648
• Published Online: 08 October 2019
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA
• First Published: First published in Journal of Biophotonics 13(1): e201960053
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy