Simvastatin nanocrystals-based dissolving microneedles for wound healing

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Drug Delivery Systems
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Inefficient drug delivery is a major challenge in wound healing therapy.
• Simvastatin (SIM) shows potential for wound healing but suffers from poor water solubility.
• Dissolving microneedles (DMNs) offer a promising approach for percutaneous drug delivery to deep wound sites.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate a novel drug delivery system, SIM-NC@DMNs, for enhanced wound healing.
• To improve the solubility and delivery of Simvastatin (SIM) using nanocrystal (NC) technology and DMNs.
• To assess the efficacy of SIM-NC@DMNs in accelerating wound closure.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of Simvastatin nanocrystals (SIM-NC) to enhance solubility.
• Fabrication of DMNs loaded with SIM-NC (SIM-NC@DMNs) using hyaluronic acid (HA).
• In vivo evaluation of SIM-NC@DMNs efficacy in a wound healing model, comparing residual wound area to a control group.

Main Results:

• SIM-NC preparation significantly increased SIM solubility in deionized water (150.57-fold) and PBS (320.14-fold).
• SIM-NC@DMNs demonstrated rapid dissolution and efficient release of SIM-NC into deep wound tissues.
• Significant acceleration of wound healing was observed, with residual wound area reduced to 2.36% by day 12 in the SIM-NC@DMNs group compared to 21.34% in the control group.

Conclusions:

• The developed SIM-NC@DMNs system effectively overcomes SIM insolubility and enhances drug delivery for wound healing.
• This innovative combination of nanocrystals and DMNs shows significant potential for promoting accelerated wound closure.
• SIM-NC@DMNs represent a promising therapeutic strategy for advanced wound healing research and clinical application.