Co-localized line-field confocal optical coherence tomography and confocal Raman microspectroscopy for three-dimensional high-resolution morphological and molecular characterization of skin tissues ex vivo

Léna Waszczuk (1) , Jonas Ogien (1) , Jean-Luc Perrot (2) , Arnaud Dubois (3)

1 DAMAE - DAMAE Medical
2 CHU ST-E - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint-Etienne [CHU Saint-Etienne]
3 Laboratoire Charles Fabry / Biophotonique

Line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT) is an optical modality that provides three-dimensional (3D) images of the skin at cellular resolution. Confocal Raman microspectroscopy (CRM) is a label-free optical technique that can provide point measurement of the molecular content of the skin. This work presents a method to co-localize LC-OCT and CRM acquisitions for morpho-molecular analysis of ex vivo skin tissues at cellular level. The co-localization method allows acquisition of Raman spectra at specific locations in a sample identified from a 3D LC-OCT image, with an accuracy of ± 20 µm. The method was applied to the characterization of tattooed skin biopsies with adverse tattoo reactions. LC-OCT images allowed to target specific regions in the biopsies where the presence of tattoo ink was revealed by detection of the Raman signature of ink pigments. Micrometer-sized foreign bodies of various materials as well as inflammatory cells were also identified within the biopsies. From these results, we demonstrate the value of the LC-OCT-CRM co-localization method and its potential for future ex vivo analysis of suspicious skin lesions.

Domaines: Physique [physics]

Léna Waszczuk, Jonas Ogien, Jean-Luc Perrot, Arnaud Dubois. Co-localized line-field confocal optical coherence tomography and confocal Raman microspectroscopy for three-dimensional high-resolution morphological and molecular characterization of skin tissues ex vivo. Biomedical optics express, 2022, 13 (4), pp.2467-2487. ⟨10.1364/boe.450993⟩. ⟨hal-04282322⟩