Zihao Ou, an assistant professor and lead author of the study, reported in the journal Science that he applied a mixture containing tartrazine to the skull and abdomen. It is an artificial yellow azo dye produced primarily for food purposes. Its advantage is that it absorbs light, which makes the skin of living mice invisible. Consequently, when the preparation was used, the internal organs of the experimental specimens were visible to the naked eye. Scientists from Dallas argue that – if this simple technique is implemented – it could open up a new way of observing body organs and contribute to the development of medical imaging.
The dye opens the body
The method is simple and very effective. Tests have shown that the solution quickly penetrates the skin, making these spots transparent. – The whole process takes a few minutes. The time depends on how quickly the particles diffuse into the skin, argues Zihao Ou.
According to him, this effect is reversible because the effect of the dye is temporary. In addition, the preparation developed by the scientists is skin-friendly. According to the Eureka Alert website, if this simple technique is implemented, it could even be used for simple procedures (for example, to improve the visibility of veins during blood collection or to remove tattoos with a laser). However, the potential of this discovery is much greater. Or, it says that the dye could help detect cancer early.
What will human research bring?
The secret to the invention was to find a solution that would effectively reduce the scattering of light in skin tissue. This is how tartrazine works – it absorbs most of the light, especially blue and ultraviolet light. The effectiveness of the preparation, called FD&C Yellow 5, was verified by scientists at Stanford University. Using the solution and laser contrast imaging, they observed blood flow in the brain of a living mouse. In turn, the “transparent” belly revealed internal organs, muscle contractions and the functioning of the digestive system.
