A municipality food coloringknown for its use in candies, drinks and medicines, could revolutionize medical imaging. Thanks to its special properties of light absorptionthis dye, the tartrazinehas been successfully tested by theStanford Universitymaking it temporarily transparent skin of live mice. This effect made it possible to observe blood vessels, organ movements, and even muscle contractions without invasive interventions.
Temporary transparency with a simple dye
The study, published in the journal Scienceshows how the tartrazinea yellow dye commonly used in food products, can alter the refractive index of water-rich tissues. Its ability to absorb the light in the regions near theultraviolet and to the blue of the spectrum allows red-orange light to penetrate more deeply into tissues, creating a temporary transparency effect.
This technique was applied to live mice, allowing researchers to observe in real time the blood vessels under the scalp and movements of internal organssuch as bowel contractions, heartbeats and breathing. The effect lasts only a few minutes, and once the dye is washed off, the fabrics return to their normal appearance.
A breakthrough in less invasive imaging
In recent years, several researches have tried to develop methods to make tissues transparent, but no technique was applicable on living animals. In 2014, for example, the California Institute of Technology had made organs and entire bodies transparent thanks to a hydrogel, but this technique was not compatible with living organisms. Also in 2016, another method developed by theUniversity of Munich had shown similar limitations.
The technique of Stanfordon the other hand, stands out because it can be used on live animalsoffering a less invasive and more effective solution for obtaining images of internal organs.
Security and future applications
There tartrazine does not appear to have any long-term side effects, and its ability to be expelled from the body within 48 hours makes it a promising option for medical research. The potential applications of this technique could extend to medical imaging for human beingspaving the way for less invasive procedures to monitor organs and tissues in real time.
This discovery represents a significant advance in medical imaging and could lead to future developments in less invasive and safer imaging techniques.
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