Analysis of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry data of human skin treated with diclofenac using sparse autoencoder

Methods that facilitate molecular identification and imaging are required to evaluate drug penetration into tissues. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), which has high spatial resolution and allows 3D distribution imaging of organic materials, is suitable for this purpose. However, the complexity of ToF-SIMS data, which includes nonlinear factors, makes interpretation challenging. Therefore, in this study, ToF-SIMS data of a stratum corneum treated with diclofenac were analyzed using machine learning to enable the evaluation of drug distribution. Diclofenac-related mass peaks were identified using autoencoder results, and the degree of penetration was evaluated across 2–20th stripped tapes. In addition, the permeation pathway was clarified by comparing the secondary ion images of phosphatidylethanolamine (PhEA; a marker of the inside of the cell); cholesterol, which is abundant in cell membranes; and diclofenac. Based on the biomolecule-related ion images showing the penetration pathway of diclofenac applied to the skin, diclofenac penetrates both the extracellular space and inside cells.