Electromechanical method coupling non-invasive skin impedance probing and in vivo subcutaneous liquid microinjection: controlling the diffusion pattern of nanoparticles within living soft tissues.
Transdermal drug delivery is the way to transport drug carriers, such as nanoparticles, across the skin barrier to the dermal and/or subcutaneous layer. In order to control the transdermal drug delivery process, based on the heterogeneous and nonlinear structures of the skin tissues, we developed a novel electromechanical method combining in vivo local skin impedance probing, subcutaneous micro-injection of colloidal nanoparticles, and transcutaneous electrical stimulation. Experiments on the nude mice using in vivo fluorescence imaging exhibited significantly different apparent diffusion patterns of the nanoparticles depending on the skin impedance: Anisotropic and isotropic patterns were observed upon injection into low and high impedance points, respectively. This result implies that the physical complexity in living tissues may cause anisotropic diffusion of drug carriers, and can be used as a parameter for controlling drug delivery process. This method also can be combined with microneedle-based drug release systems, micro-fabricated needle-electrodes, and/or advanced in vivo targeting/imaging technologies using nanoparticles.
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-747, South Korea.
Baeckkyoung
B
Sung
Se Hoon
SH
Kim
Jin-Kyu
JK
Lee
Byung-Cheon
BC
Lee
Kwang-Sup
KS
Soh
D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000818:Animals; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods; D017097:Electric Impedance; D004566:Electrodes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008845:Microinjections / Q000379:methods*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D009339:Needles; D061848:Optical Imaging; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
D004337:Drug Carriers