Photo-crosslinked methacrylated hyaluronic acid-iPRF hydrogel-based microneedles for accelerated wound repair

Microneedle patches (MNPs) offer a minimally invasive platform for transdermal delivery of bioactive molecules, yet sustaining their activity at the wound site remains challenging. Herein, we introduced a photo-crosslinked hybrid MNP platform that uniquely integrates methacrylated hyaluronic acid (MAHA) with injectable platelet-rich fibrin (iPRF) to couple a structurally tunable hydrogel matrix with autologous reservoir of growth factors. The iPRF incorporation strengthened the MAHA network, resulting in MNPs with improved compressive strength and hardness while maintaining flexibility and tissue compatibility. The hybrid patches exhibited controlled swelling and enzymatic degradation, which facilitated the sustained release of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) in vitro. In a murine full-thickness wound model, iPRF-MAHA hybrid MNPs significantly accelerated wound closure relative to MAHA-only MNPs and saline controls, accompanied by faster re-epithelialization and denser collagen deposition and reduced inflammation. Together, these results demonstrate that combining MAHA with iPRF within a microneedle architecture offers a novel and effective strategy for localized, sustained delivery of endogenous growth factors advancing MNP-based therapies for wound repair.