Application progress of microneedle technology in transdermal drug delivery system

Microneedles are tiny needles with a diameter of 30~80μm and a length ranging from several hundred microns to several millimeters, which are made of silicon, metal or other materials through microelectronic manufacturing technology or micro-molding technology

01Microneedleclassification

According to different drug release mechanisms, microneedles can be divided into five types: solid microneedles, hollow microneedles, coated microneedles, soluble microneedles and hydrogel microneedles

The solid microneedle is the earliest type of microneedle used for transdermal drug delivery.

The hollow microneedle is similar to a miniaturized syringe needle.

The coated microneedle is to coat the surface of the solid microneedle with a water-soluble drug preparation to form a drug film

Soluble microneedles refer to microneedles prepared by encapsulating drugs in a needle using biodegradable water-soluble polymers or polysaccharides

Hydrogel microneedles are prepared from a hydrogel polymer matrix, and the preparation method is similar to soluble microneedles

02 Applicationof microneedle in transdermal drug delivery system

Using microneedles to assist in overcoming the skin barrier, transdermal delivery of drugs no longer requires strict screening of the relative molecular weight, solubility, dosage and other properties of the drug.

2.

Lidocaine is a classic local anesthetic, usually administered by injection for preoperative anesthesia

2.

The preparation of hyaluronic acid soluble microneedles is used to deliver monoclonal antibody IgG.

As the main drug for the treatment of diabetes, insulin is mainly administered by multiple injections and the use of insulin pumps.

2.

Most vaccinations are completed by intramuscular or subcutaneous injection.

2.

In recent decades, microneedles have also made significant progress in the field of beauty and body, mainly used for scar treatment, whitening, wrinkle removal, chloasma and scar treatment
.
The skin is stimulated by the tiny needles of the microneedles, which relieves oily and clogged skin in a short time, and sweat can be better discharged from the microchannels; in addition, the micropores formed by the microneedles on the surface of the skin can increase the amount of The absorption of effective ingredients in gels and emulsions for whitening, wrinkle removal, repair, etc.
, to achieve an ideal beauty effect
.
At present, Japan's Cosmed pharmaceutical company uses sodium hyaluronate and collagen to develop and market MicroHyala, a microneedle product used for whitening and freckle removal.
This is the world's first soluble microneedle product successfully marketed
.

As a new type of drug delivery preparation between subcutaneous injection and transdermal patch, microneedle has become a research hotspot of major innovative drug companies in recent years
.
Compared with the traditional injection drug delivery, the microneedle multi-array drug delivery can effectively improve the uniform distribution of the drug in the spatial dimension
.
Especially for the treatment of superficial lesions, microneedles can directly deliver drugs to the lesion, with higher bioavailability, less damage to the human body, easier dose control, and less pain
.
One of the research trends of microneedle transdermal drug delivery technology is to combine microneedles with other transdermal penetration enhancing technologies or penetration enhancers to increase the transdermal absorption of drugs
.
The transdermal intelligent response microneedle drug delivery system is an important frontier and development trend in this field
.
With the further research on the microneedle drug delivery system, it is expected that more drugs can be applied to the prevention and treatment of related diseases via microneedle
.

references:

[1] Chen Xin, Zhang Yongping, Xu Jian, Liu Yao.
Modern research progress of microneedle[J].
Asia-Pacific Traditional Medicine, 2021, 17(07): 210-213.

[2] Chen Minglong, Yang Dan, Sun Ying, Quan Guilan, Wu Chuanbin, Pan Xin.
Research progress of soluble microneedles in the field of transdermal drug delivery[J].
Advances in Pharmacy, 2020, 44(05): 324-331 .

[3] Lu Yang, Cheng Zhuqiang, Jin Yi, Ding Zhi.
Research progress of microneedle transdermal drug delivery system[J].
Chinese Pharmaceutical Journal, 2018,53(12):945-950.