Construction and applications of exosome-microneedle integrated systems

With the rapid advancement of drug delivery technologies, microneedles (MNs) have emerged as a novel transdermal delivery platform due to their ease of administration, minimally invasive nature, and high efficiency. MNs have demonstrated broad applicability for delivering diverse therapeutic agents, including small molecules, nucleic acids, peptides, and proteins. Exosomes (Exos), a class of extracellular vesicles with unique biological functions and significant clinical potential, have attracted increasing attention in recent years. However, their widespread application is limited by issues such as poor stability, low delivery efficiency, and potential safety and immune risks. The integration of Exos with MNs (Exos-MNs) systems offers a promising strategy to address these challenges. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in Exos-MNs delivery systems, including the technological advances of MNs, biological characteristics and engineering strategy of Exos, and the construction strategies of Exos-MNs. Additionally, we highlight recent developments in the application of Exos-MNs systems and discuss future perspectives and challenges for their clinical translation.