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Polymeric Microneedle Array Fabrication by Photolithography
Published on: November 17, 2015
A scalable fabrication process of polymer microneedles
Sixing Yang1, Yan Feng, Lijun Zhang
1School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
International Journal of Nanomedicine
|March 30, 2012
Summary
A novel one-sided vacuum process using a breathable ceramic mold enables efficient fabrication of polymer microneedles. This method ensures uniform needle arrays with excellent skin penetration and drug delivery capabilities.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biomedical Engineering
- Drug Delivery
Background:
- Traditional polymer microneedle fabrication often requires complex centrifugation or vacuumizing steps.
- Achieving uniform and robust microneedle arrays can be challenging with existing methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel, simplified fabrication process for polymer microneedles.
- To utilize a breathable yet water-impermeable ceramic mold for enhanced microneedle production.
- To evaluate the performance of the fabricated microneedles in terms of skin penetration and drug release.
Main Methods:
- A polymer solution (polyvinyl alcohol and polysaccharide) was cast in a ceramic mold.
- A one-sided vacuum was applied to draw the solution into the mold's microholes.
- Freeze-thawing was used for cross-linking and solidification, followed by controlled drying and punching.
Main Results:
- The process successfully produced regular and uniform microneedle arrays without deformation.
- The microneedles demonstrated sufficient strength for pigskin penetration.
- Satisfactory water-swelling ratios and drug-release kinetics were observed.
Conclusions:
- The novel one-sided vacuum fabrication method offers an efficient and scalable approach for polymer microneedles.
- The resulting microneedles exhibit promising properties for transdermal drug delivery applications.
