Topical Tartrazine for Improved Skin Structure Visualization in Dermatology

November 13, 2025 updated by: Johns Hopkins University

Topical Application of Tartrazine for Enhanced Visualization of Subcutaneous Structures in Dermatology

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if the topical application of tartrazine, an FDA-approved food dye, can help improve the transparency of the skin in healthy volunteers. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Can topical tartrazine application allow for temporary skin transparency?
  • What dose of tartrazine is required to achieve reversible skin transparency?

Participants will:

  • Be given a patch test with four different doses of tartrazine
  • Have these patch tests placed on the back, stomach, and forearm
  • Have photographs taken every 5 minutes to see if transparency is achieved
  • Be called 48 hours later to check for any side effects

Study Overview

Status

Withdrawn

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Optical imaging of biological tissues is limited by unwanted scattering and absorption of light, which restricts both the depth of imaging and the spatial resolution. This scattering occurs due to refractive index (RI) mismatches between different tissue components, such as the low RI of water-rich cytosol and the high RI of lipid-based structures. Current methods to reduce light scattering, such as the use of optical clearing agents (OCAs), often involve toxic chemicals or removal of tissue components, making them unsuitable for live imaging.

A recently published study in Science demonstrated that tartrazine, a commonly utilized food dye, is a potent OCA that achieves temporary optical transparency in living tissues. In rodent models, tartrazine was topically administered in a 0.6 M solution and showed reversible transparency effects and rendered their skin, muscle and connective tissues transparent while also providing high-resolution imaging down to the micrometer level without causing tissue damage. Imaging techniques such as laser speckle contrast imaging revealed clear visualization of cerebral blood vessels and internal organs, without needing to surgically remove tissue. Topical application in rodents caused minimal inflammation as affirmed by histological analysis. Additionally, the dye was rapidly cleared via urine and feces without signs of systemic toxicity, and after application, the dye can be washed out to further reduce exposure.

Compared to additional OCAs, tartrazine diffused through tissues more rapidly and required lower concentrations to achieve the desired transparency, resulting in faster visualization. Unlike conventional agents, tartrazine did not cause side effects such as tissue shrinkage or dehydration, making it a promising alternative for non-invasive imaging. These studies established that tartrazine, a strongly absorbing molecule, can reduce the RI mismatch between water and lipids, effectively minimizing light scattering and improving optical transparency.

Tartrazine, also known as FD&C Yellow No. 5, is a commonly utilized coloring agent found in food products, cosmetics, and medications with approved safety profiles across multiple regulatory bodies, including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Joint Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Although tartrazine has been widely used in food and cosmetics, its clinical use for enhancing reversible skin transparency remains under-explored. The long-standing safety profile of tartrazine, in conjunction with the promising preclinical imaging modulation effects, justifies investigating its efficacy in humans.

Existing optical imaging techniques are limited by penetration depth and high scattering, particularly in vivo. This study aims to fill this gap by using tartrazine to improve visualization in human subjects. The potential benefits of this non-invasive technique for human applications are vast, particularly in dermatology, tumor imaging, and surgical planning. If successful, tartrazine could enable clearer, non-invasive imaging of tumors, vascular lesions, and other subcutaneous structures - providing real-time insights into disease progression and aiding in more accurate medical interventions. This clinical pilot study, with a primary focus on the feasibility of topical tartrazine for improving skin transparency, is built upon the promising results from rodent models and tartrazine's well-established safety profile in humans.

Study Type

Interventional

Phase

  • Early Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Maryland
      • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21287
        • Johns Hopkins Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Healthy adults aged 18 and older
  • Willingness to comply with study procedures
  • Able to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Known allergies to tartrazine or related compounds
  • Current or history of skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, or severe inflammatory diseases, defined as scoring ≥16 on the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) or ≥10 on the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI)
  • Other atopic conditions such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, or hypersensitivity reactions
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Use of immunosuppressive medications
  • Any condition that may interfere with the safety or results of the study

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Tartrazine Patch with 4 Doses across 3 Body Sites
A four-chamber patch will be loaded with 0.5militer (mL) of tartrazine and applied to 1 cm diameter areas on the skin. Each chamber will deliver one of four different concentrations of a tartrazine solution-0.15 molar concentration (M), 0.3M, 0.6M, and 1.2M-on three distinct skin regions: the anterior forearm (representing thin skin), the abdomen (representing medium-thickness skin), and the back (representing thicker skin). This method ensures consistent, standardized, and simultaneous applications across all skin types and participants, reducing variability in the application process.
Drug: Four-Chamber Tartrazine Patch across 3 Body Sites
This is a chamber patch comprising four increasing doses of tartrazine (0.15M, 0.3M, 0.6M, 1.2M). This will be applied on the forearm, abdomen, and back to represent different skin thicknesses.
Other Names:
  • FD&C Yellow 5
  • E102

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Optical Transparency as Assessed by Total Transmittance Percentage
Time Frame: Up to 90 minutes
To determine the optimal duration for maximum transparency, serial imaging will be conducted over the course of one 90 minute clinic visit (baseline, immediately post-application, and at 5-minute intervals until transparency plateaus). Imaging will be performed using non-invasive modalities. High-resolution dermoscopy will capture clear images of skin structures, and standardized high-quality photography will document the visible effects of transparency. These images will assess improvements in the resolution, depth, and overall image quality of subdermal structures, allowing the investigators to evaluate whether tartrazine significantly enhances visualization.
Up to 90 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Johns Hopkins University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Joel Sunshine, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

May 11, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 23, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 24, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

January 29, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

November 14, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 13, 2025

Last Verified

November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IRB00469443

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Since this is a pilot feasibility study, we will refrain from sharing IPD until the subsequent Phase 1 trial commences.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Healthy

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Luxembourg

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe