The minipig in dermatotoxicology: Methods and challenges

Skin Morphology of the Clawn Miniature Pig

“…It is well known that the skin of densely haired mammals such as rodents, dogs, cats and monkeys has distinctive morphological differences from human skin, whereas the skin of domestic or miniature pigs morphologically resembles that of humans [4,6,8]. In the present study, morphological similarities between CMP skin and human skin were revealed by light microscopy.…”

“…The skin of miniature pigs is considered to be a good model for human skin because it is morphologically, physiologically and pharmacologically similar [6,11]. Detailed investigations of skin morphology have been performed for the Yucatan miniature pig, and light and electron microscopy studies have revealed a high level of similarity to human skin [3,4].…”

Subcutaneous bioavailability of therapeutic antibodies as a function of FcRn binding affinity in mice

“…The minipig has been a widely used model to determine the SC absorption of small molecules and other proteins due to its physiologic, anatomic, nutritional and metabolic similarities to humans, especially the similarities in the epidermis, such as thickness of epidermis, presence of SC fat layer and epidermal morphology. 23 We are currently evaluating the minipig as an animal model for studying the SC bioavailability of mAbs.…”

Use of Miniature Pig for Biomedical Research, with Reference to Toxicologic Studies

“…In view of closer morphological and physiological similarities between the human and porcine skin compared with other laboratory animals, the pig has been ascribed as a preferred animal to evaluate the safety aspect of dermally applied drugs. Chemical compounds, depending on their physicochemical properties and the area of dermal application, generally show a high percutaneous penetration through the skin of densely haired animals, whereas the permeability and metabolism of the compounds in the porcine skin appear to be more comparable to those in humans, in contrast to the absence of significant correlation between the human skin and the hairless dog or nude mouse skin 37 . Dermal studies conducted in minipigs allow the evaluation of both local as well as systemic toxicity similarly in other non-rodent species.…”