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Safe Coated Microneedles with Reduced Puncture Occurrence after Administration
Hye-Rin Jeong1, Hyesun Jun2, Hye-Ran Cha3
1Department of Bionano Technology, Gachon University, Gyeonggi-do 13120, Korea.
Micromachines
|July 26, 2020
Summary
This study developed safer coated microneedles (c-MNs) to prevent reinsertion of used tips. Coated microneedles significantly improved puncture performance and reduced contamination risk compared to uncoated microneedles.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Engineering
- Drug Delivery Systems
- Medical Device Design
Background:
- Standard microneedles (MNs) pose a risk of reinsertion after use due to remaining sharp tips.
- Developing safer MNs is crucial for preventing secondary infections and ensuring patient safety.
- Coating MNs offers a potential strategy to mitigate risks associated with MN use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prepare and evaluate safer coated microneedles (c-MNs) designed to reduce the likelihood of reinsertion of residual tips.
- To investigate the impact of polymer type and aspect ratio on the mechanical properties and performance of uncoated and coated microneedles.
- To assess the puncture performance and safety of c-MNs in preclinical animal models.
Main Methods:
- Preparation of twelve groups of uncoated microneedles (u-MNs) using varying aspect ratios and polymers (PE, PP, nylon, PLA).
- Coating of u-MNs with a polyvinyl alcohol formulation to create c-MNs.
- Measurement of force displacement for both u-MNs and c-MNs.
- Evaluation of puncture performance of different MN types in animal models.
Main Results:
- Coating significantly reduced the aspect ratio of microneedles, from 2.2-3.0 to 1.3-1.6.
- All polylactic acid (PLA) c-MNs demonstrated over 95% puncture performance.
- Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) u-MNs with a 3.0 aspect ratio showed low puncture rates (8% and 53%), which improved to 82% and 95% respectively after coating.
- Animal studies showed c-MNs puncture performance exceeding 96%, a significant increase from u-MNs (59%) and a decrease from reused MNs (r-MNs) (13%).
Conclusions:
- Safe c-MNs effectively overcome the limitations of standard c-MNs by minimizing contamination risks from residual tips.
- The developed c-MNs exhibit enhanced humidity resistance, cost-effectiveness, and simplified sterilization processes.
- Separate preparation of u-MNs followed by a simple dip-coating method offers advantages in processing time and scalability.
