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Published on: February 7, 2021
Self-dissolving micropile array tips for percutaneous administration of insulin.
Yukako Ito1, Takenao Yamazaki, Nobuyuki Sugioka
1Department of Pharmacokinetics, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Yamashina-ku, Kyoto, 607-8412, Japan. yukako@mb.kyoto-phu.ac.jp
This study developed novel self-dissolving microneedle tips for insulin delivery. Partially-loaded tips (p-tips) demonstrated effective hypoglycemic effects in rats, suggesting their potential as a transdermal drug delivery system (DDS).
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Pharmacology
- Drug Delivery Systems
Background:
- Percutaneous administration of therapeutic proteins like insulin presents challenges.
- Microneedle arrays offer a promising approach for transdermal drug delivery.
- Self-dissolving materials can enhance the safety and efficacy of microneedle-based systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate self-dissolving microneedle tips loaded with insulin.
- To compare the pharmacological efficiency of fully-loaded tips (f-tips) and partially-loaded tips (p-tips).
- To assess the potential of these microneedle tips as a percutaneous drug delivery system (DDS) for insulin.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of self-dissolving microneedle array tips (1.0 x 1.0 cm) containing 100 micropiles.
- Loading of insulin into the tips, creating fully-loaded (f-tip) and partially-loaded (p-tip) configurations using chondroitin sulfate.
- Evaluation of hypoglycemic effects in rat models by measuring plasma glucose levels over time.
Main Results:
- Micropile lengths were comparable between f-tips (483.4 ± 4.7 µm) and p-tips (492.6 ± 2.4 µm).
- The insulin content of p-tips was 28.5% of that of f-tips.
- Maximum hypoglycemic effects were observed at 1.7 ± 0.2 h for f-tips and 1.5 ± 0.2 h for p-tips, with good dose-dependency.
Conclusions:
- Self-dissolving microneedle tips loaded with insulin are feasible for percutaneous administration.
- Partially-loaded tips (p-tips) exhibit significant hypoglycemic effects and dose-dependency.
- The developed p-tip shows promise as an effective percutaneous drug delivery system for insulin.
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