View Cover
Vimentin+ Cells and Extracellular Matrix in Human Dermis
Human dermal sheets were prepared using ammonium thiocyanate to separate epidermis and dermis, and dermal sheets were fixed and stained for vimentin. In human dermis, vimentin labels preferentially mesenchymal cells (fibroblasts), endothelial cells, and immune cells (macrophages, mast cells, T cells). Images were captured using a multiphoton microscope, which also allows label-free imaging of the extracellular matrix (ECM) using second harmonic generation microscopy. A snapshot of human dermis is shown which extends from the papillary to the reticular compartment. The ECM was pseudo-colored in magenta, and vimentin+ cells are labelled in green. Image courtesy of Karin Pfisterer and Wolfgang Weninger, Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna.