Temporal Variations of Skin Pigmentation in C57BL/6 Mice Affect Optical Bioluminescence Quantitation

The study investigated the effect of depilation-induced skin pigmentation on bioluminescent imaging in 25 C57Bl/6 mice, finding that increased melanin significantly attenuated the bioluminescent signal by up to 90%. This attenuation was most pronounced at week 3 of a 5-week period, correlating with peak pigmentation. The research emphasized the need for correction methods, such as reflectance measurements, to account for pigmentation variability and improve signal accuracy in longitudinal studies. The findings highlighted the importance of considering skin pigmentation in experimental design to ensure accurate bioluminescent imaging results.