Detection of Iodine by Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy(EDS) Following Contact with an Iodine Releasing Coating

The detection and localization of iodine in biological tissues have traditionally presented problems associated with sample preparation of soluble elements. Standard sample preparation for biological tissue involves methods which solubilize or extract iodine.Furthermore, analytical methods for detection of elements typically have been studied in smooth flat materials. We describe two methods using frozen pig skin for detecting iodine in tissue, creating digital color maps of iodine concentrations in cross sections of pig skin, and visualizing flow properties of an iodine-releasing coating at skin surfaces.Biological samples were analyzed with the Philips XL30 SEM integrated EDAX systems using peak identification and digital color mapping software packages. Iodine-releasing coatings were applied to pig skin explants and processed by freeze-drying. The stratum corneum and hair follicle regions of pig skin remained undistorted and identifiable after dissection and processing. Iodine was detected in the coating, in the stratum corneum, and in the tissue surrounding hair follicles (Fig. 1).