PuSH - Publication Server of Helmholtz Zentrum München

He, H. ; Karlas, A. ; Fasoula, N.-A. ; Fischer, C.* ; Darsow, U.* ; Kallmayer, M.* ; Aguirre Bueno, J. ; Eckstein, H.H.* ; Ntziachristos, V.

Single-capillary endothelial dysfunction resolved by optoacoustic mesoscopy.

Light Sci. Appl. 15:37 (2026)
Publ. Version/Full Text Research data DOI PMC
Open Access Gold
Creative Commons Lizenzvertrag
Microvascular endothelial dysfunction (MiVED) is an early marker of endothelial impairment, often preceding dysfunction in large arteries. Although MiVED assessment could reveal new insights into the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or offer earlier detection and finer disease stratification, detailed in-vivo MiVED observation remains challenging due to a lack of suitable technologies. To address this gap, we hypothesized that accelerating ultra-wideband raster-scan optoacoustic mesoscopy (RSOM), i.e., fast RSOM (fRSOM), could resolve for the first time cutaneous MiVED features at single capillary resolution. We investigated whether we could record morphological features and dynamic responses during post-occlusive reactive hyperemia to achieve the most detailed observation of microvascular endothelial function to date. Our results show that using fRSOM on skin clearly measured the effects of smoking (N = 20) and atherosclerotic CVD (N = 20) on cutaneous endothelial function. For the first time, we found layer-specific effects, with smoking and CVD affecting the sub-papillary dermis differently than the reticular dermis; a finding not resolvable using "bulk" volumetric signals from laser Doppler flowmetry or tissue spectrometry. Interestingly, we observed no substantial structural changes in the microvasculature of smokers and volunteers with CVD, indicating that MiVED may be an earlier marker than morphology-based biomarkers typically assessed by histological studies. Our study introduces a non-invasive modality that enables the visualization and quantification of skin microvascular structure and function, bridging a technological gap and offering new insights into the effects of diseases on MiVED. This study potentially paves the way for fRSOM use as an early detection, diagnostic, or theranostic marker.
Altmetric
Additional Metrics?
[➜Log in]
Edit extra informations Login
Publication type Article: Journal article
Document type Scientific Article
Keywords Optical Coherence Tomography; Noninvasive Assessment; Disease; Quantification; Hypertension; Tonometry; Humans; Focus
ISSN (print) / ISBN 2095-5545
e-ISSN 2047-7538
Journal Light: Science & Applications
Quellenangaben Volume: 15, Issue: 1, Pages: , Article Number: 37 Supplement: ,
Publisher Springer
Publishing Place London
Reviewing status Peer reviewed
Institute(s) Institute of Biological and Medical Imaging (IBMI)
Grants FKZ 81Z0600104)
and Helmholtz AI - Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Unit, ZT-I-PF-5-195, AIDOM)
Helmholtz Association
EC | Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020)
DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research
Helmholtz Initiative and Networking Fund (Impuls- und Vernetzungsfonds der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft) (Helmholtz Imaging Platform, ZT-I-PF-4-050, Deep4OM