title: Microneedles for the Noninvasive Structural and Functional Assessment of Dermal Lymphatic Vessels.
abstract: The medical and scientific communities' interest in the lymphatic system has been growing rapidly in recent years. It has become evident that the lymphatic system is much more than simply a homeostasis controller and that it plays key roles in several pathological conditions. This work describes the identification of the optimal combination of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) and a near-infrared dye (indocyanine green) for the manufacturing of soluble microneedles and their application to the imaging of the lymphatic system. Upon application to the skin, the microneedle-bearing indocyanine green is delivered in the dermal layer, where the lymphatic vessels are abundant. The draining lymphatics can then be visualized and the clearance kinetics from the administration site simply determined using a near-infrared camera. This painless functional "tattooing" procedure can be used for quantitative assessment of the dermal lymphatic function in several dermal conditions and treatment-response evaluations. The two components of these microneedles are extensively used in routine medical care, potentially leading to rapid clinical translation. Moreover, this procedure may have a significant impact on preclinical lymphatic studies.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 3, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brambilla
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 3, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Steven T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Proulx
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 3, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marschalkova
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 3, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Detmar
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 3, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jean-Christophe
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Leroux
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020405:Dermis / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D007208:Indocyanine Green / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007700:Kinetics; D042601:Lymphatic Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009339:Needles; D010477:Perfusion; D011760:Pyrrolidinones / Q000737:chemistry; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D011760:Pyrrolidinones; D014867:Water; C042670:N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone; D007208:Indocyanine Green
keywords: dermal; imaging; lymphatic; microneedles