Background: Calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA, Radiesse^®) is a biocompatible, injectable filler for facial soft-tissue augmentation that provides volume to tissues, followed by a process of neocollagenesis for improved skin quality. Objective: To examine the effects of CaHA treatment on the molecular organization of collagen using a combination of picrosirius red staining and circularly polarized light microscopy. Methods: Five subjects received subdermal injection of 0.3 mL of CaHA in tissues scheduled for removal during abdominoplasty 2 months later. Tissue specimens from the CaHA injection site and a control untreated area were obtained from excised skin at the time of surgery. Processed tissue sections were stained with picrosirius red solution 0.1% and visualized under circularly polarized light microscopy for identification of thick mature (type I) and thin newly formed (type III) collagen fibers. Pixel signals from both the control and CaHA-treated areas were extracted from the images, and morphometric computerized hue analysis was performed to provide a quantitative evaluation of mature and newly formed collagen fibers. Results: Under picrosirius red staining and circularly polarized light microscopy, green/yellow areas (thin newly formed collagen type III) were visible among the collagen fibers in tissue sections from the area of CaHA injection. In contrast, the majority of the collagen fibers appeared red (thick mature collagen type I) in control tissues. Morphometric analysis confirmed that, following CaHA treatment, the proportion of fibers represented by thin newly formed collagen type III increased significantly (p<0.01) in comparison with the proportion of thick mature collagen type I fibers. In contrast, collagen content of control tissues consisted almost exclusively of thick mature collagen type I fibers. Conclusion: The use of picrosirius red staining and circularly polarized light microscopy provides evidence that subdermal injection of CaHA stimulates the formation of new collagen and dermal remodeling.

This study uses light and electron microscopes to gain a better knowledge of the interactions of calcium hydroxylapatite filler with the connective tissue of the skin and the modifications of the human deep dermis, after 2 months of treatment. Some morphological evidences of this observational study of filler treated tissue support-specific mechanism involved in the structural modifications of both filler microspherules and cells of the connective tissue. They demonstrate the absence of any immunological reaction and show that the used filler is modified very slowly over time by the action of cells of the connective tissue closely related to the filler without any activity of phagocytosis. Furthermore, associated with the modifications of the filler, evidences of stimulatory effects on dermal fibroblasts are reported.

Biomedical applications of nanoparticles (NPs) have reached an increasing development in recent years. Recently, we demonstrated that newly synthesized poly (ethyl 2-cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles (PECA-NPs) are possible antitumor agents due to their cytotoxicity for cancer cells. Indocyanine green (ICG), an amphiphilic tricarbocyanine fluorescent dye, is widely used for the detection of tumoral extension in different organs during clinical surgery. Moreover, this fluorescent agent is unstable and it has a rapid clearance in physiological conditions in vivo. In this study, ICG was charged in PECA-NPs to improve its aqueous stability and make easier its use for the identification of tumor cells. Microscopic and ultrastructural aspects concerning the related in vitro interactions between ICG-loaded NPs and tumor cell culture were investigated. Obtained results showed an effective stabilization of ICG; furthermore, color inclusions inside the cells treated with ICG-loaded NPs demonstrated the internalization of NPs with associated ICG. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis demonstrated the cytoplasmic presence of coated vesicles (Ø ≤ 100 nm), hypothesizing their involvement in the mechanism of endocytosis. Therefore, ICG-loaded NPs could be proposed as agents for tumor diagnosis, hypothesizing also in the future a specific therapeutic treatment.

In this study, the application of a recently introduced device based on electromagnetic energy transfer by microwaves for fat reduction, permitted to study specifically the modifications of thick fibrous collagen interlobular septa in the subcutaneous adipose tissue, related to the formation of large clusters of adipocytes. The use of Picrosirius Red staining associated with circularly polarized microscopy gave evidence of appreciable modifications of the fibrous connective tissue forming septa. Compact fibrotic bundles of Collagen I forming interlobular septa appeared reduced or dissolved, in part substituted by the increase of more diffuse and finely reticular Collagen III. Remodelling of fibrous collagen, which formed bridles involved in the appearance at the surface of the skin of dimpling/orange peer pattern typical of cellulite, was observed.

Fluorescent or metal halide lamps are widely used in therapeutic applications in dermatological diseases, with broadband or narrow band emission UVA/UVA1 (320–400 nm) obtained with suitable passive filters. Recently, it has been possible for us to use a new machine provided with solid state source emitting pulsed monochromatic UVA1 355 nm. In order to evaluate the effects of this emission on immunocells of the skin, human skin samples were irradiated with monochromatic 355 nm UVA1 with different energetic fluences and after irradiation Langerhans cells were labeled with CD1a antibodies. The immunohistochemical identification of these cells permitted evaluating their modifications in terms of density into the skin. Obtained results are promising for therapeutical applications, also considering that a monochromatic radiation minimizes thermic load and DNA damage in the skin tissues.