Microneedle enhanced delivery of cosmeceutically relevant peptides in human skin

PLoS One. 2014 Jul 17;9(7):e101956. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101956. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Peptides and proteins play an important role in skin health and well-being. They are also found to contribute to skin aging and melanogenesis. Microneedles have been shown to substantially enhance skin penetration and may offer an effective means of peptide delivery enhancement. The aim of this investigation was to assess the influence of microneedles on the skin penetration of peptides using fluorescence imaging to determine skin distribution. In particular the effect of peptide chain length (3, 4, 5 amino acid chain length) on passive and MN facilitated skin penetration was investigated. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to image fluorescence intensity and the area of penetration of fluorescently tagged peptides. Penetration studies were conducted on excised full thickness human skin in Franz type diffusion cells for 1 and 24 hours. A 2 to 22 fold signal improvement in microneedle enhanced delivery of melanostatin, rigin and pal-KTTKS was observed. To our knowledge this is the first description of microneedle enhanced skin permeation studies on these peptides.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Abdominoplasty
  • Administration, Cutaneous
  • Cosmetic Techniques*
  • Drug Delivery Systems / methods
  • Humans
  • MSH Release-Inhibiting Hormone / administration & dosage
  • Microinjections / methods*
  • Microscopy, Confocal
  • Oligopeptides / administration & dosage
  • Optical Imaging
  • Peptides / administration & dosage*
  • Peptides / therapeutic use
  • Skin
  • Skin Physiological Phenomena*
  • Surgery, Plastic / methods*

Substances

  • Oligopeptides
  • Peptides
  • MSH Release-Inhibiting Hormone
  • palmitoyl-lysyl-threonyl-threonyl-lysyl-serine
  • rigin

Grants and funding

This project was funded by Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. APR acknowledges The University of Queensland Post-Doctoral Fellowship and Early Career Research Award for funding. YM acknowledges the Australian Postgraduate Award for funding. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.