Microvascular effects of microneedles with subsequent histamin application in the skin prick test

Since decades, histamin applications are routinely performed in skin prick tests using a lancet. However, this technique is associated with various drawbacks.

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.

In our results, histamin was delivered more rapidly into the skin after microneedle pretreatment compared to passive diffusion, visible as wheal and erythema.

The here presented technique might be useful for a personalized drug-testing system in the future.