Advances of microneedle technology for the treatment of autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases are characterized by an aberrant immune response directed against the body's own components, leading to immune dysfunction and loss of tolerance. This ultimately results in tissue damage and organ impairment. Despite the availability of a range of pharmacological agents for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, numerous challenges still remain. These include reduced bioavailability, first-pass metabolism, severe adverse effects, and low patient compliance associated with oral or injectable routes of administration. Microneedles (MNs) based delivery systems offer a promising alternative for transdermal drug administration, as they can circumvent the aforementioned limitations via the generation of microchannels in the skin in a minimally invasive manner with low pain. This review examines the applications and recent advances in MN systems for treating autoimmune diseases, focusing on six key areas: an overview of autoimmune diseases, current treatment modalities, an introduction to MNs, advantages of MNs for autoimmune disease treatment, advancements in MN-mediated therapies for diverse autoimmune diseases, and relevant MN technologies currently undergoing clinical trials. Additionally, it considers the prospective future advancements of MN systems in the management of autoimmune diseases.