In vivo non-invasive staining-free visualization of dermal mast cells in healthy, allergy and mastocytosis humans using two-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging.

ABSTRACT: Mast cells (MCs) are multifunctional cells of the immune system and are found in skin and all major tissues of the body. They contribute to the pathology of several diseases including urticaria, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and mastocytosis where they are increased at lesional sites. Histomorphometric analysis of skin biopsies serves as a routine method for the assessment of MC numbers and their activation status, which comes with major limitations. As of now, non-invasive techniques to study MCs in vivo are not available. Here, we describe a label-free imaging technique to visualize MCs and their activation status in the human papillary dermis in vivo. This technique uses two-photon excited fluorescence lifetime imaging (TPE-FLIM) signatures, which are different for MCs and other dermal c

SUBMITTER: Kroger M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7484787 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature