Time-resolved fluorescence microscopy (FLIM) as an analytical tool in skin nanomedicine. 2017

Ulrike Alexiev, and Pierre Volz, and Alexander Boreham, and Robert Brodwolf
Institute for Experimental Physics, Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: ulrike.alexiev@fu-berlin.de.

The emerging field of nanomedicine provides new approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, for symptom relief, and for monitoring of disease progression. Topical application of drug-loaded nanoparticles for the treatment of skin disorders is a promising strategy to overcome the stratum corneum, the upper layer of the skin, which represents an effective physical and biochemical barrier. The understanding of drug penetration into skin and enhanced penetration into skin facilitated by nanocarriers requires analytical tools that ideally allow to visualize the skin, its morphology, the drug carriers, drugs, their transport across the skin and possible interactions, as well as effects of the nanocarriers within the different skin layers. Here, we review some recent developments in the field of fluorescence microscopy, namely Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM)), for improved characterization of nanocarriers, their interactions and penetration into skin. In particular, FLIM allows for the discrimination of target molecules, e.g. fluorescently tagged nanocarriers, against the autofluorescent tissue background and, due to the environmental sensitivity of the fluorescence lifetime, also offers insights into the local environment of the nanoparticle and its interactions with other biomolecules. Thus, FLIM shows the potential to overcome several limits of intensity based microscopy.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008856 Microscopy, Fluorescence Microscopy of specimens stained with fluorescent dye (usually fluorescein isothiocyanate) or of naturally fluorescent materials, which emit light when exposed to ultraviolet or blue light. Immunofluorescence microscopy utilizes antibodies that are labeled with fluorescent dye. Fluorescence Microscopy,Immunofluorescence Microscopy,Microscopy, Immunofluorescence,Fluorescence Microscopies,Immunofluorescence Microscopies,Microscopies, Fluorescence,Microscopies, Immunofluorescence
D004337 Drug Carriers Forms to which substances are incorporated to improve the delivery and the effectiveness of drugs. Drug carriers are used in drug-delivery systems such as the controlled-release technology to prolong in vivo drug actions, decrease drug metabolism, and reduce drug toxicity. Carriers are also used in designs to increase the effectiveness of drug delivery to the target sites of pharmacological actions. Liposomes, albumin microspheres, soluble synthetic polymers, DNA complexes, protein-drug conjugates, and carrier erythrocytes among others have been employed as biodegradable drug carriers. Drug Carrier
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000279 Administration, Cutaneous The application of suitable drug dosage forms to the skin for either local or systemic effects. Cutaneous Drug Administration,Dermal Drug Administration,Drug Administration, Dermal,Percutaneous Administration,Skin Drug Administration,Transcutaneous Administration,Transdermal Administration,Administration, Dermal,Administration, Transcutaneous,Administration, Transdermal,Cutaneous Administration,Cutaneous Administration, Drug,Dermal Administration,Drug Administration, Cutaneous,Skin Administration, Drug,Administration, Cutaneous Drug,Administration, Dermal Drug,Administration, Percutaneous,Administrations, Cutaneous,Administrations, Cutaneous Drug,Administrations, Dermal,Administrations, Dermal Drug,Administrations, Percutaneous,Administrations, Transcutaneous,Administrations, Transdermal,Cutaneous Administrations,Cutaneous Administrations, Drug,Cutaneous Drug Administrations,Dermal Administrations,Dermal Drug Administrations,Drug Administrations, Cutaneous,Drug Administrations, Dermal,Drug Skin Administrations,Percutaneous Administrations,Skin Administrations, Drug,Skin Drug Administrations,Transcutaneous Administrations,Transdermal Administrations
D012867 Skin The outer covering of the body that protects it from the environment. It is composed of the DERMIS and the EPIDERMIS.
D012869 Skin Absorption Uptake of substances through the SKIN. Absorption, Skin,Intracutaneous Absorption,Intradermal Absorption,Percutaneous Absorption,Transcutaneous Absorption,Transdermal Absorption,Absorption, Intracutaneous,Absorption, Intradermal,Absorption, Percutaneous,Absorption, Transcutaneous,Absorption, Transdermal,Absorptions, Intracutaneous,Absorptions, Intradermal,Absorptions, Percutaneous,Absorptions, Skin,Absorptions, Transcutaneous,Absorptions, Transdermal,Intracutaneous Absorptions,Intradermal Absorptions,Percutaneous Absorptions,Skin Absorptions,Transcutaneous Absorptions,Transdermal Absorptions
D050997 Nanomedicine The branch of medicine concerned with the application of NANOTECHNOLOGY to the prevention and treatment of disease. It involves the monitoring, repair, construction, and control of human biological systems at the molecular level, using engineered nanodevices and NANOSTRUCTURES. (From Freitas Jr., Nanomedicine, vol 1, 1999).
D053758 Nanoparticles Nanometer-sized particles that are nanoscale in three dimensions. They include nanocrystaline materials; NANOCAPSULES; METAL NANOPARTICLES; DENDRIMERS, and QUANTUM DOTS. The uses of nanoparticles include DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS and cancer targeting and imaging. Nanocrystalline Materials,Nanocrystals,Material, Nanocrystalline,Materials, Nanocrystalline,Nanocrystal,Nanocrystalline Material,Nanoparticle

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