Background: Since decades, histamin applications are routinely performed in skin prick tests using a lancet. However, this technique is associated with various drawbacks.
Materials and methods: In healthy human subjects, we investigated the effects of microneedle-enhanced histamin delivery (wheal size, erythema size) in the skin microvasculature using polarized light spectroscopy imaging (Tissue Viability imaging, TiVi). Histamin was applied on microneedle-pretreated skin or on -untreated skin, to assess the microvascular response in the local skin.
Results: In our results, histamin was delivered more rapidly into the skin after microneedle pretreatment compared to passive diffusion, visible as wheal and erythema.
Conclusion: The here presented technique might be useful for a personalized drug-testing system in the future.
Keywords: TiVi imaging; histamin; microneedles; skin prick test.
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