Microneedle system: a modulated approach for penetration enhancement

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Pharmaceutics
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• Transdermal drug delivery offers advantages over traditional methods by bypassing the stratum corneum.
• Current limitations in transdermal delivery include low drug flux and permeation efficiency.
• Microneedles represent a promising approach to overcome these limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review advanced strategies for enhancing transdermal drug delivery using microneedle systems.
• To explore the combination of microneedles with physical and chemical penetration enhancement techniques.
• To highlight the potential of microneedles for delivering high payloads of actives, including macromolecules and biologics.

Main Methods:

• Review of physical penetration enhancement techniques: iontophoresis, sonophoresis, and electroporation.
• Review of chemical penetration enhancers: polymers, lipids, surfactants, and terpenes.
• Analysis of strategies combining microneedles with these enhancement techniques for improved drug transport.

Main Results:

• Physical and chemical enhancement techniques significantly increase drug permeation through the skin.
• Combining microneedles with these techniques can enhance drug permeability by 5-10 times compared to microneedles alone.
• Advanced strategies enable the delivery of high payload actives, macromolecules, antibodies, genes, proteins, and peptides.

Conclusions:

• Microneedle systems integrated with penetration enhancement techniques offer a superior approach for transdermal drug delivery.
• These advanced systems hold significant potential for targeted drug delivery and minimally invasive administration of biologics.
• Future applications include vaccines and therapeutics for cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and cardiovascular diseases.