Seborrheic keratosis (SK) is a common, noncancerous growth on the skin. However, the paramagnetic species (radicals) in pigmented SK have not been investigated yet. X-band (9 GHz) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and EPR imaging (EPRI) were used to nondestructively investigate paraffin-embedded SK. Paramagnetic species in SK specimens were analyzed using linewidth, spectral pattern, and X-band EPRI. The EPR spectra of the SK showed a single line pattern. The EPR results revealed that the peak-to-peak linewidths (ΔHpp) of paraffin-embedded SK samples were 0.58 ± 0.02 mT. The g-value was 2.004 for those samples using EPR standards. EPR signal intensities of the SK samples reasonably corresponded to those for permeability values that are directly related to pigment color tone. Moreover, the two-dimensional (2D) EPRI of the SK showed the distribution of paramagnetic species in the samples with different magnitudes for the first time. The distribution corresponds to the pigmented region. We established that the paramagnetic species was melanin radicals, based on the EPR results obtained in addition to in vivo oxidation of melanin pigments. The present results suggest that EPR and 2D EPRI techniques can be useful for the radical characterization and evaluation of various types of SK.
Keywords: EPR; EPR imaging; Seborrheic keratosis; melanin radicals; pigment; skin permeability.