Personal Health

Star-particles help in skin diseases

U.S. researchers have developed a star-shaped particles, which could enhance the effect of drugs in ointments much. Your tiny micro-needles penetrate the skin barrier and allow a better Penetration of active ingredients.

With the naked eye, about a Millimeter large particles such as a powder, but upon closer inspection, they look like stars, because on the surface of small micro-are needles. This "Sternenstaub" can be mixed with active substances against skin diseases such as psoriasis, warts, or certain types of skin cancer that normally would not penetrate even through the skin in an ointment, and applied. That could make injections or Taking tablets is superfluous: By Rubbing the micro-pores arise painless in the surface of the skin, increase the skin permeability for the drugs is more than 1000-fold. The researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the journal Nature reports.

Less injections and tablets?

In this way, it was possible to treat mice with a drug against cancer of the skin, which usually needs to be taken and often severe side effects. You could vaccinate even: got wiped out the particles along with a Tetanus vaccine to the skin of mice, it produced as good a protection as by means of an injection of the vaccine. However, vaccine when administered through the skin, larger amounts required.

The star particles are produced with a laser technology of ceramic materials, such as titanium dioxide, which is also a component of sunscreen products and other cosmetic products. In Trying to people the RUB led to these particles to a slight tingling – Pain or skin irritation were observed.

ZOU