ABSTRACT
Purpose
To characterize the microchannels created in hairless rat skin by microneedles and investigate their closure following exposure to different occlusive conditions.
Methods
Maltose microneedles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The microchannels created and their closure when exposed to different conditions was investigated using a variety of techniques.
Results
Microscopic imaging indicates a pyramidal geometry of maltose microneedles with an average length of 559 ± 14 μm and tip radius of 4 μm. Upon insertion into skin, they created microchannels with an average surface diameter of 60 μm and an average depth of 160 ± 20 μm as observed by histological sectioning and confocal microscopy. Skin recovers its barrier function within 3–4 hrs, and microchannels closed within 15 hrs of poration when exposed to environment. However, when occluded, the microchannels remained open for up to 72 hrs in vivo, as observed by calcein imaging, transepidermal water loss measurements and methylene blue staining.
Conclusion
Maltose microneedles penetrated the stratum corneum barrier and created microchannels in skin which completely close within 15 hrs after poration. However, under occluded conditions, barrier recovery can be delayed for up to 72 hrs in vivo.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Banga AK. Microporation applications for enhancing drug delivery. Expert Opin Drug Deliv. 2009;6:343–54.
Kolli CS, Banga AK. Characterization of solid maltose microneedles and their use for transdermal delivery. Pharm Res. 2008;25:104–13.
Cormier M, Johnson B, Ameri M, Nyam K, Libiran L, Zhang DD et al. Transdermal delivery of desmopressin using a coated microneedle array patch system. J Control Release. 2004;97:503–11.
Martanto W, Davis SP, Holiday NR, Wang J, Gill HS, Prausnitz MR. Transdermal delivery of insulin using microneedles in vivo. Pharm Res. 2004;21:947–52.
Davis SP, Martanto W, Allen MG, Prausnitz MR. Hollow metal microneedles for insulin delivery to diabetic rats. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2005;52:909–15.
Park JH, Allen MG, Prausnitz MR. Biodegradable polymer microneedles: fabrication, mechanics and transdermal drug delivery. J Control Release. 2005;104:51–66.
Matriano JA, Cormier M, Johnson J, Young WA, Buttery M, Nyam K et al. Macroflux microprojection array patch technology: a new and efficient approach for intracutaneous immunization. Pharm Res. 2002;19:63–70.
Lin W, Cormier M, Samiee A, Griffin A, Johnson B, Teng CL et al. Transdermal delivery of antisense oligonucleotides with microprojection patch (Macroflux) technology. Pharm Res. 2001;18:1789–93.
Chabri F, Bouris K, Jones T, Barrow D, Hann A, Allender C et al. Microfabricated silicon microneedles for nonviral cutaneous gene delivery. Br J Dermatol. 2004;150:869–77.
McAllister DV, Wang PM, Davis SP, Park JH, Canatella PJ, Allen MG et al. Microfabricated needles for transdermal delivery of macromolecules and nanoparticles: fabrication methods and transport studies. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2003;100:13755–60.
Li G, Badkar A, Nema S, Kolli CS, Banga AK. In vitro transdermal delivery of therapeutic antibodies using maltose microneedles. Int J Pharm. 2009;368:109–15.
Widera G, Johnson J, Kim L, Libiran L, Nyam K, Daddona PE et al. Effect of delivery parameters on immunization to ovalbumin following intracutaneous administration by a coated microneedle array patch system. Vaccine. 2006;24:1653–64.
Teo MAL, Shearwood C, Ng KC, Lu J, Moochhala S. In vitro and in vivo characterization of MEMS microneedles. Biomed Microdevices. 2005;7:47–52.
Wang PM, Cornwell M, Hill J, Prausnitz MR. Precise microinjection into skin using hollow microneedles. J Invest Dermatol. 2006;126:1080–7.
Kalluri H, Banga AK. Microneedles and transdermal drug delivery. Journal of drug delivery science and technology. In print: 2009.
Teo AL, Shearwood C, Ng KC, Lu J, Moochhala S. Transdermal microneedles for drug delivery applications. Mater Sci Eng B. 2006.
Oh JH, Park HH, Do KY, Han M, Hyun DH, Kim CG et al. Influence of the delivery systems using a microneedle array on the permeation of a hydrophilic molecule, calcein. Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 2008;69:1040–5.
Mikszta JA, Alarcon JB, Brittingham JM, Sutter DE, Pettis RJ, Harvey NG. Improved genetic immunization via micromechanical disruption of skin-barrier function and targeted epidermal delivery. Nat Med. 2002;8:415–9.
Menon GK, Feingold KR, Elias PM. Lamellar body secretory response to barrier disruption. J Invest Dermatol. 1992;98:279–89.
Elias PM. Epidermal lipids, barrier function, and desquamation. J Invest Dermatol. 1983;80(Suppl):44s–9.
Al-Qallaf B, Das DB. Optimizing microneedle arrays for transdermal drug delivery: extension to non-square distribution of microneedles. J Drug Target. 2009;17:108–22.
Gupta J. Microneedles for transdermal drug delivery in human subjects, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vol. Ph.D. Dissertation, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta; 2009. p. 198.
Gupta J, Andrews S, Gill HS, Prausnitz MR. Kinetics of skin resealing after insertion of microneedles in human subjects. New York: Controlled Release Society Annual Meeting; 2008.
Haq MI, Smith E, John DN, Kalavala M, Edwards C, Anstey A et al. Clinical administration of microneedles: skin puncture, pain and sensation. Biomed Microdevices. 2009;11:35–47.
Al-Qallaf B, Das DB. Optimizing microneedle arrays to increase skin permeability for transdermal drug delivery. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2009;1161:83–94.
Grubauer G, Elias PM, Feingold KR. Transepidermal water loss: the signal for recovery of barrier structure and function. J Lipid Res. 1989;30:323–33.
Ahn SK, Jiang SJ, Hwang SM, Choi EH, Lee JS, Lee SH. Functional and structural changes of the epidermal barrier induced by various types of insults in hairless mice. Arch Dermatol Res. 2001;293:308–18.
Kennish L, Reidenberg B. A review of the effect of occlusive dressings on lamellar bodies in the stratum corneum and relevance to transdermal absorption. Dermatol Online J. 2005;11:7.
Menon GK, Elias PM, Feingold KR. Integrity of the permeability barrier is crucial for maintenance of the epidermal calcium gradient. Br J Dermatol. 1994;130:139–47.
Menon GK, Grayson S, Elias PM. Ionic calcium reservoirs in mammalian epidermis: ultrastructural localization by ion-capture cytochemistry. J Invest Dermatol. 1985;84:508–12.
Taljebini M, Warren R, Mao-Oiang M, Lane E, Elias PM, Feingold KR. Cutaneous permeability barrier repair following various types of insults: kinetics and effects of occlusion. Skin Pharmacol. 1996;9:111–9.
Jiang S, Koo SW, Lee SH. The morphologic changes in lamellar bodies and intercorneocyte lipids after tape stripping and occlusion with a water vapor-impermeable membrane. Arch Dermatol Res. 1998;290:145–51.
Mao-Qiang M, Mauro T, Bench G, Warren R, Elias PM, Feingold KR. Calcium and potassium inhibit barrier recovery after disruption, independent of the type of insult in hairless mice. Exp Dermatol. 1997;6:36–40.
Lee SH, Elias PM, Proksch E, Menon GK, Mao-Quiang M, Feingold KR. Calcium and potassium are important regulators of barrier homeostasis in murine epidermis. J Clin Invest. 1992;89:530–8.
Lee SH, Elias PM, Feingold KR, Mauro T. A role for ions in barrier recovery after acute perturbation. J Invest Dermatol. 1994;102:976–9.
Hachem JP, Crumrine D, Fluhr J, Brown BE, Feingold KR, Elias PM. pH directly regulates epidermal permeability barrier homeostasis, and stratum corneum integrity/cohesion. J Invest Dermatol. 2003;121(2):345–53.
Fluhr JW, Mao-Qiang M, Brown BE, Hachem JP, Moskowitz DG, Demerjian M, Haftek M, Serre G, Crumrine D, Mauro TM, Elias PM, Feingold KR. Functional consequences of a neutral pH in neonatal rat stratum corneum. J Invest Dermatol. 2004;123(1):140–50.
Hachem JP, Man MQ, Crumrine D, Uchida Y, Brown BE, Rogiers V, Roseeuw D, Feingold KR, Elias PM. Sustained serine proteases activity by prolonged increase in pH leads to degradation of lipid processing enzymes and profound alterations of barrier function and stratum corneum integrity. J Invest Dermatol. 2005;125(3):510–20.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank Dr. Chandrasekhar Kolli and David Farquhar for help with calcein imaging studies.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kalluri, H., Banga, A.K. Formation and Closure of Microchannels in Skin Following Microporation. Pharm Res 28, 82–94 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-010-0122-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-010-0122-x