Melanin distribution from the dermal–epidermal junction to the stratum corneum: non-invasive in vivo assessment by fluorescence and Raman microspectroscopy
Open accessAbstract
The fate of melanin in the epidermis is of great interest due to its involvement in numerous physiological and pathological processes in the skin. Melanin localization can be assessed ex vivo and in vivo using its distinctive optical properties. Melanin exhibits a characteristic Raman spectrum band shape and discernible near-infrared excited (NIR) fluorescence. However, a detailed analysis of the capabilities of depth-resolved confocal Raman and fluorescence microspectroscopy in the evaluation of melanin distribution in the human skin is lacking. Here we demonstrate how the fraction of melanin at different depths in the human skin in vivo can be estimated from its Raman spectra (bands at 1,380 and 1,570 cm−1) using several procedures including a simple ratiometric approach, spectral decomposition and non-negative matrix factorization. The depth profiles of matrix factorization components specific to melanin, collagen and natural moisturizing factor provide information about their localization in the skin. The depth profile of the collagen-related matrix factorization component allows for precise determination of the dermal–epidermal junction, i.e. the epidermal thickness. Spectral features of fluorescence background originating from melanin were found to correlate with relative intensities of the melanin Raman bands. We also hypothesized that NIR fluorescence in the skin is not originated solely from melanin, and the possible impact of oxidized species should be taken into account. The ratio of melanin-related Raman bands at 1,380 and 1,570 cm−1 could be related to melanin molecular organization. The proposed combined analysis of the Raman scattering signal and NIR fluorescence could be a useful tool for rapid non-invasive in vivo diagnostics of melanin-related processes in the human skin.
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More highly pigmented skin has more melanosomes and a greater ability to transfer melanin.
“All skin types tend to have the same numbers of melanocytes but the numbers of melanosomes within each and their ability to pass these on to keratinocytes is varied, with more highly pigmented skin having more melanosomes and a greater ability to transfer melanin.33”
From Effect of skin color on optical properties and the implications for medical optical technologies: a review (2024) · cites this paper as [33]
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- Authors
- Yakimov, B. P., Shirshin, E. A., Schleusener, J., Allenova, A. S., Fadeev, V. V., & Darvin, M. E.
- Affiliations
- Sechenov University (RU)
- Russian Academy of Sciences (RU)
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE)
- Lomonosov Moscow State University (RU)
- Corresponding author
- Shirshin, E. A.
- Darvin, M. E.
- Venue
- Scientific Reports
- Published
- 2020-09-01
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 14374-14374
- ISSN
- 2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7463016
- OpenAlex
- W3081778015
- Cited by
- 56
- References
- 74
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 6
- FWCI
- 3.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Refubium (Universitätsbibliothek der Freien Universität Berlin) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Universitätsbibliothek der FU Berlin Hochschulschriftenstelle u. Dokumentenserver (cc-by)
- Funders
- Projekt DEAL
- Russian Science Foundation (19-75-10077)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biophysics › Spectroscopy Techniques in Biomedical and Chemical Research
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › melanin and skin pigmentation
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy Techniques
- Keywords
- melanin distribution, human skin, basement membrane zone, stratum corneum, confocal Raman spectroscopy, near-infrared fluorescence, non-negative matrix factorization, spectral decomposition, collagen, natural moisturizing factor, epidermal thickness
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Epidermis, Female, Humans, Male, Melanins, Middle Aged, Spectrometry, Fluorescence, Spectrum Analysis, Raman, Young Adult, Healthy Volunteers
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