Soft Microneedle Patch for Faster Skin and Oral Drug Onset
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing local anesthetic and antihistamine preparations take too long to develop their effects on the skin or oral mucosa, necessitating a new administration method to accelerate the onset of action.
Innovation Solution
A minute projection patch made of a water-insoluble thermoplastic polymer with reduced hardness is used to overlay ointments, creams, or liquid preparations, which includes stereoscopically erected projections to stretch and thin the skin or oral mucosa, enhancing drug absorption without puncturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional microneedles with hardness capable of skin puncture are used, then transdermal absorption is enhanced, but skin damage and pain occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the hardness parameter of the microneedle material from conventional hard materials to soft materials with specific elastic modulus ranges (1.0×10^4 to 1.0×10^7 kgf/cm²). This parameter change allows the microneedles to deform and stretch the skin without puncturing it, achieving transdermal absorption while avoiding skin damage and pain.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using hard microneedles that puncture the skin to enhance absorption, the patent inverts the approach by using soft microneedles that stretch and thin the skin through deformation. This inversion of the traditional microneedle hardness concept achieves the same absorption enhancement without the harmful puncturing effect.
2Reliability
If local anesthetic preparations are applied to skin surface, then anesthesia effect is achieved, but time required is 40 to 60 minutes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the local anesthetic preparation to the surface of the soft microneedle patch before application to the skin. This preliminary action ensures that the drug is already positioned at the site where it will be delivered, and the soft microneedles will stretch and thin the skin to facilitate rapid drug penetration, reducing the time to develop anesthetic effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The soft microneedle patch acts as an intermediary device between the local anesthetic preparation and the skin. The patch delivers the preparation to the skin surface and facilitates its penetration through the stretching and thinning action of the soft microneedles, significantly reducing the time required compared to direct skin application.
3Loss of time
If dental local anesthetics with gel or ointment are used, then anesthetic effect develops in 10 minutes, but shorter time is required for skin applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal soft microneedle patch system that can be applied to various body surfaces (skin, oral mucosa, etc.) and delivers different local anesthetic preparations effectively. The soft microneedles' ability to stretch and thin different tissue types makes the system adaptable to multiple application sites, achieving rapid effect development across different body surfaces.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The patch significantly reduces the time required for the onset of anesthetic, antihistamine, anti-inflammatory, and pain-relieving effects by promoting transdermal and transmucosal drug absorption.
Implementation Method 1
pressing the skin with the minute projections although the skin cannot be punctured
Implementation Method 2
the minute projections have hardness that cannot be punctured even when applied to skin or oral mucosa
Implementation Method 3
the substrate and the minute projections are made of a water-insoluble thermoplastic polymer substance
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a means for shortening the time of the development of the action of a local anesthetic agent, an antihistamine drug or the like against skin and oral mucosa. Provided are: a minute projection patch which is intended to be applied to skin or oral mucosa and includes a substrate and minute projections stereoscopically erected on the substrate, in which each of the substrate and the minute projections is made of a water-insoluble thermoplastic polymer substance having an elastic modulus of 1.5×104 kgf/cm2 or less; and a local application system for shortening the time of the action of a drug against the skin or oral mucosa, which contains the minute projection patch and a liniment (a gel, an ointment or the like containing a drug).