A novel skin model of electrospun membranes for evaluation of microneedles insertion performance.

• A novel multilayer skin model was fabricated with electrospun membranes. • It has better physical properties similar to real skin than paraffin film for microneedle insertion performance evaluation. • OCT was used to compare the accuracy of the models. The preparation of nanofiber materials by electrospinning and the fabrication of microneedle arrays patch for medical and cosmetic purposes using polymer materials are hotspots in the basic and applied research of materials science in recent decades, showing a bright future. However, the mechanical strength of polymer microneedles is relatively weak, and the performance of piercing the skin determines their effectiveness and reliability. A novel multilayered fibrous membrane prepared by electrospinning has been developed with similar mechanical properties to those of real skin, which is made of interwoven elastic fibers. It can replace real skin and exhibits more accuracy, simplicity, and rapidity for in vitro evaluation of microneedle insertion properties compared to some other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]