Accelerating topical anaesthesia using microneedles

Davies, Lleucu, Gateley, Christopher, Holland, Phillip, Coulman, Sion ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1277-7584 and Birchall, James ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8521-6924 2018. Accelerating topical anaesthesia using microneedles. Skin Pharmacology and Physiology 30 (6) , pp. 277-283. 10.1159/000479530

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Abstract

Background/Aims: Topical anaesthetics reduce pain during venous access procedures in children. However, clinical use is hindered by a significant anaesthetic onset time. Restricted diffusion of the topical anaesthetic through the stratum corneum barrier is the principal reason for the delayed onset. Microneedles can painlessly pierce the skin. This study evaluated microneedle pre-treatment of ex vivo human skin as a means to increase the rate of tetracaine permeation, in order to accelerate the onset of anaesthesia. Methods: Franz-type diffusion cells were used to determine permeation of a commercial tetracaine formulation, Ametop gel, through human skin epidermis. Microneedle-assisted permeation was compared to untreated epidermis. Upon completion of permeation studies the epidermal membranes were visually characterised. Results: At 30 minutes 5.43 μg/cm2 of tetracaine had permeated through untreated membrane compared to 12.13 μg/cm2 in microneedle treated membrane. Insertion of a hypodermic needle created a large single channel in the epidermis (approximately 4250μm2) whilst the punctured surface area following microneedle treatments was estimated to be 75,000μm2. Conclusion: Pre-treatment of skin with microneedles significantly enhances the permeation of tetracaine. Microneedles have the potential to more than halve the onset time for anaesthesia when applying Ametop gel.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Dentistry Pharmacy
Publisher:	Karger
ISSN:	1660-5527
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	8 September 2017
Date of Acceptance:	13 July 2017
Last Modified:	16 Nov 2024 21:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/104510

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