Development and optical characterisation of agarose-based phantoms mimicking biological tissues for studies of light penetration in the brain

Searching for materials that accurately mimic the optical properties of biological tissues is essential, particularly for transcranial photobiomodulation (PBM) research, where it is necessary to comprehend how light propagates through the head tissues. In this research, we characterised, in the 500–1200 nm range, the transmittance spectra of porcine tissues (skin, muscle, cranium, brain, and cerebellum) and different agarose-based phantoms. These phantoms were developed using different combinations of titanium dioxide (TiO₂), India ink, organometallic compounds, and laser-ablated gold and zinc oxide nanoparticles. The surface and mechanical properties of these phantoms were also characterized. The results showed that an increased TiO₂ concentration decreased the optical transmittance of the phantoms. However, when TiO₂ was added to the India ink and laser-ablated nanoparticles’ phantoms, not only did it reduce transmittance amplitude, but it also flattened its spectra. Comparing the phantoms and biological tissues’ results, the spectral profiles of TiO₂ samples appeared similar to those of muscle, skin, and brain/cerebellum; organometallic compounds replicated the skin and muscle curves; India ink emulated skin and cranium; and the laser-ablated nanoparticles mimicked the muscle. Although it was possible to establish qualitative similarities between the phantoms and the biological tissues’ optical transmittance spectra, there is a need for further studies with different components’ combinations to ascertain curves that more closely mimic the biological tissues.