STM Journals Peer-reviewed research from Consortium e-Learning Network

Research & Reviews: A Journal of Drug Design & Discovery Original Research

Microneedles: An Innovative Drug Delivery System

  1. Jain A. Vinod Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, P.S.G.V.P., Mandal’s College of Pharmacy, Shahada
  2. Jagtap U. Sanjay Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, P.S.G.V.P., Mandal’s College of Pharmacy, Shahada
  3. More K. Arvind Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, P.S.G.V.P., Mandal’s College of Pharmacy, Shahada
  4. Sulbha G. Patil Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, P.S.G.V.P., Mandal’s College of Pharmacy, Shahada

Abstract

Microneedles represent a groundbreaking innovation in drug delivery systems, offering a transformative alternative to conventional hypodermic needles and transdermal patches. This advanced technology combines the precision and efficacy of needle-based delivery with the convenience and pain-free nature of patches, creating a minimally invasive platform that addresses many limitations of traditional drug administration. Microneedles are designed to penetrate the stratum corneum – the skin’s outermost layer – without reaching pain-sensitive nerves or blood vessels, enabling efficient drug diffusion while eliminating the discomfort and risks associated with deep tissue penetration. This innovative system has diverse applications, ranging from preventive healthcare, such as vaccine delivery, to chronic disease management, localized pain relief, and cosmetic enhancements. Microneedles are particularly advantageous in delivering drugs that are poorly absorbed orally or unstable in the gastrointestinal tract, such as peptides, proteins, and nucleic acids. They also enhance patient compliance by reducing the need for trained healthcare professionals and enabling self-administration, which is especially valuable in remote or resource-limited settings. This review explores the various types of microneedles – solid, coated, dissolvable, and hollow each tailored for specific therapeutic needs. It examines critical factors influencing their design, including drug selection criteria, material composition, and fabrication techniques, such as laser cutting, molding, and 3D printing. Rigorous evaluation methods, including mechanical strength tests, drug release profiling, and biocompatibility assessments, are discussed to highlight the importance of ensuring safety and efficacy in clinical applications. Additionally, the review highlights the unique advantages of microneedle technology, including controlled drug release, targeted delivery, and reduced infection risks, while acknowledging key challenges, such as limited drug load, manufacturing complexities, and regulatory hurdles. Recent advancements, including smart microneedles for real-time biosensing and gene therapy applications, demonstrate the potential of this technology to revolutionize personalized medicine and disease management. As research continues to overcome existing limitations, microneedle technology is poised to reshape the future of drug delivery. By bridging the gap between patient-centric care and cutting-edge innovation, microneedles have the potential to unlock new therapeutic possibilities, improve global health outcomes, and usher in the next generation of sophisticated drug delivery systems.

Keywords

References (40)

  1. Wright CI, Van-Buren L, Kroner CI, Koning MMG. Herbal medicines as diuretics: A review of the scientific evidence. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2007;114(1):1-31. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2007.07.023
  2. Lachman L, Lieberman HA, Kanig JL. The theory and practice of industrial pharmacy. 3rd ed. Mumbai: Varghese Publishing House; 1987. pp. 185–188.
  3. Phillips SJ, Whisnant JP. Hypertension and stroke. In: Laragh JH, Brenner BM, editors. Hypertension: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management. 2nd ed. New York: Raven Press; 1995. pp. 465–478.
  4. Prausnitz MR, Langer R. Transdermal drug delivery. Nature Biotechnology. 2008;26(11):1261-1268. doi:10.1038/nbt.1504
  5. Donnelly RF, Singh TRR, Garland MJ, Migalska K, Majithiya R, McCrudden CM, et al. Hydrogel‐Forming Microneedle Arrays for Enhanced Transdermal Drug Delivery. Advanced Functional Materials. 2012;22(23):4879-4890. doi:10.1002/adfm.201200864
  6. Kim YC, Park JH, Prausnitz MR. Microneedles for drug and vaccine delivery. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews. 2012;64(14):1547-1568. doi:10.1016/j.addr.2012.04.005
  7. Ita K. Transdermal Delivery of Drugs with Microneedles—Potential and Challenges. Pharmaceutics. 2015;7(3):90-105. doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics7030090
  8. Sabri AH, Liu X, Sun Y, Dhaliwal A, Qi S. Coated microneedles for transdermal delivery: A review. Pharmaceutics. 2020;12(2):125.
  9. Sullivan SP, Koutsonanos DG, del Pilar Martin M, Lee JW, Zarnitsyn V, Choi SO, et al. Dissolving polymer microneedle patches for influenza vaccination. Nature Medicine. 2010;16(8):915-920. doi:10.1038/nm.2182
  10. Ye Y, Yu J, Wen D, Kahkoska AR, Gu Z. Microneedles for transdermal delivery of insulin. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2018;127:106–118.
  11. Li W, Tang J, Terry RN, Li S, Brunie A, Callahan RL, et al. Long-acting reversible contraception by effervescent microneedle patch. Science Advances. 2019;5(11). doi:10.1126/sciadv.aaw8145
  12. Wang J, Zhang Y, Fei W, Wang Q, Wang X, Feng N. Recent progress of biodegradable microneedles for biomedical applications. J Control Release. 2021;331:335–347.
  13. Henry S, McAllister DV, Allen MG, Prausnitz MR. Microfabricated microneedles: A novel approach to transdermal drug delivery. J Pharm Sci. 1999;88(9):948. doi:10.1021/js990783q.
  14. Gill HS, Prausnitz MR. Coated microneedles for transdermal delivery. Journal of Controlled Release. 2007;117(2):227-237. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2006.10.017
  15. Arya J, Prausnitz MR. Microneedle patches for vaccination in developing countries. Journal of Controlled Release. 2016;240:135-141. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2015.11.019
  16. Ita KB, Duarah S, Das MK, Gohil SV. Microneedle technology for transdermal delivery: Trends and progress. Drug Deliv. 2021;28(1):30–45.
  17. Larrañeta E, Lutton RE, Woolfson AD, Donnelly RF. Microneedle systems for drug delivery: Materials and applications. Mater Today. 2016;19(2):88–101.
  18. Donnelly RF, McCrudden MTC, Zaid Alkilani A, Larrañeta E, McAlister E, Courtenay AJ, et al. Hydrogel-Forming Microneedles Prepared from “Super Swelling” Polymers Combined with Lyophilised Wafers for Transdermal Drug Delivery. PLoS ONE. 2014;9(10):e111547. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0111547
  19. Chen MC, Ling MH, Wang KW, Lin ZW, Lai BH, Chen DH. Near-Infrared Light-Responsive Composite Microneedles for On-Demand Transdermal Drug Delivery. Biomacromolecules. 2015;16(5):1598-1607. doi:10.1021/acs.biomac.5b00185
  20. Rzhevskiy AS, Singh TRR, Donnelly RF. Microneedles: Progress toward applications in healthcare. Future Med. 2018;13(6):487–495.
  21. Park JH, Allen MG, Prausnitz MR. Biodegradable polymer microneedles: Fabrication, mechanics and transdermal drug delivery. Journal of Controlled Release. 2005;104(1):51-66. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2005.02.002
  22. Davis SP, Landis BJ, Adams ZH, Allen MG, Prausnitz MR. Insertion of microneedles into skin: measurement and prediction of insertion force and needle fracture force. Journal of Biomechanics. 2004;37(8):1155-1163. doi:10.1016/j.jbiomech.2003.12.010
  23. Korkmaz E, Friedrich EE, Ramadan MH, Erdos G, Mathers AR, Burak Ozdoganlar B, et al. Therapeutic applications of microneedle arrays in drug delivery. Biomed Microdevices. 2016;18(6):119.
  24. McGrath MG, Vrdoljak A, O’Mahony C, Oliveira JC, Moore AC, Crean AM. Determination of parameters for successful spray coating of silicon microneedle arrays. International Journal of Pharmaceutics. 2011;415(1-2):140-149. doi:10.1016/j.ijpharm.2011.05.064
  25. Kolli CS, Banga AK. Characterization of Solid Maltose Microneedles and their Use for Transdermal Delivery. Pharmaceutical Research. 2007;25(1):104-113. doi:10.1007/s11095-007-9350-0
  26. Yuan W, Sixing Yang, Yan Feng, Lijun Zhang, Nixiang Chen, Tuo Jin. A scalable fabrication process of polymer microneedles. International Journal of Nanomedicine. 2012:1415. doi:10.2147/ijn.s28511
  27. Vicente-Pérez EM, Larrañeta E, McCrudden MT, Singh TRR, Donnelly RF. Transdermal delivery of methotrexate: Evaluation of passive and microneedle-mediated strategies. Int J Pharm. 2016;523(1):259–268.
  28. Chandrasekhar S, Iyer LK, Panchagnula R. Microstructured transdermal delivery systems: current status and future prospects. Crit Rev Ther Drug Carrier Syst. 2007;24(6):481–519.
  29. Gomaa YA, Morrow DI, Garland MJ, Donnelly RF, Raghu Raj Singh TR. Effects of microneedle design on the quality of electrochemical biosensors. Electrochim Acta. 2013;109:299–307.
  30. Yadav P, Jana A, Chaudhary A, Saha A, Ghosh SK. Dissolvable microneedles: A tool for transdermal drug delivery. Ther Deliv. 2018;9(5):333–348.
  31. Al-Kasasbeh R, Donnelly RF, McCrudden MT, Larrañeta E, McCarthy HO. Evaluation of dissolving polymeric microneedle arrays for enhanced intradermal delivery. Drug Deliv Transl Res. 2020;10(5):1265–1276.
  32. Andorko JI, Jewell CM. Designing polymeric microneedles for immunomodulation. Acta Biomater. 2017;57:1–13.
  33. Lee H, Choi TK, Lee YB, Cho HR, Ghaffari R, Wang L, et al. A graphene-based electrochemical device with thermoresponsive microneedles for diabetes monitoring and therapy. Nature Nanotechnology. 2016;11(6):566-572. doi:10.1038/nnano.2016.38
  34. Navarro MA, Vicente-Pérez EM, O’Mahony C, González-Vázquez P, Larrañeta E, McCrudden MT, et al. Preparation and characterization of a hydrogel-forming microneedle array for transdermal drug delivery applications. Int J Pharm. 2016;502(1–2):161–168.
  35. Gonzalez-Vazquez P, McCrudden MT, O’Kane D, Vicente-Pérez EM, O’Mahony C, McCarthy HO, et al. Transdermal delivery of systemic therapeutic agents using dissolving polymeric microneedle arrays. Chem Commun. 2018;54(6):1206–1212.
  36. Meng F, Zhong Y, Cheng R, Deng C, Zhong Z. Microneedle arrays for improved transdermal drug delivery in various therapeutic applications. Expert Opin Drug Deliv. 2014;11(11):1761–1772.
  37. Kim YC, Prausnitz MR. Enhancing skin permeability of macromolecules using microneedles. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2011;63(6):523–537.
  38. Zhang X, Chen G, Bian F, Cai L, Zhao Y. Biodegradable microneedles for transdermal drug delivery: Perspectives and applications. J Mater Chem B. 2018;6(43):7249–7268.
  39. Crichton ML, Ansaldo AB, Chen X, Raphael AP, Sutter DE, Fernando GJP, et al. The effect of microneedle shape on the strength of coupling to an underlying substrate. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2011;4(8):1603–1613.
  40. Donnelly RF, Garland MJ, Woolfson AD. Polymeric microneedles for transdermal drug delivery. Drug Deliv Transl Res. 2014;4(3):293–304.
Support