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Updated: Jun 5, 2026
Fabrication and Characterization of Microneedle Patches for Loading and Delivery of Exosomes
Published on: July 12, 2024
Multifunctional self-assembled nanoparticles loaded into immunomodulatory microneedles for synergistic therapy of
Yangyang Zhang1, Junkun Qu1, Chenming Zhang1
1School of Pharmacy, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China.
Abstract:
Psoriasis is an immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease that currently lacks safe and effective transdermal therapies capable of multi-target action. In this study, hyaluronic acid (HA) and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) were separately conjugated to D-alpha tocopherol acid polyethylene glycol succinate (TPGS), which subsequently self-assembled into nanoparticles (HA/GA-NPs). Bletilla striata polysaccharide (BSP) and HA were employed as the microneedle matrix to fabricate soluble microneedles incorporating the nanoparticles (HA/GA-NPs-MNs). This strategy combined the CD44-targeting capability and anti-inflammatory activity of the nanoparticles with the immunomodulatory function and efficient penetration-enhancing ability of the BSP-based microneedles, thereby achieving synergistic therapeutic effects against psoriasis. In vitro studies demonstrated that the CD44-targeting capability of HA/GA-NPs enhanced cellular uptake, reduced intracellular ROS expression, and suppressed the inflammatory proliferation of HaCaT cells. Concurrently, BSP and HA/GA-NPs synergistically promote M2 polarization in RAW264.7 cells while suppressing the production of NO and proinflammatory factors IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β. Furthermore, HA/GA-NPs-MNs enhanced drug accumulation and skin penetration, enabling efficient delivery into the deeper skin layers. During in vivo studies, the system was observed to significantly enhance immune regulation and demonstrated the strongest efficacy in suppressing psoriatic inflammatory infiltration. The primary therapeutic mechanism of HA/GA-NPs-MNs against psoriasis involved the blockade of STAT3 phosphorylation to inhibit IL-23 signaling and downstream IL-17 release. The biosafety assessment confirmed high dermal and hemocompatibility of the system. This work presented a novel integrated platform of multifunctional self-assembled nanoparticles and immunomodulatory microneedles for the topical treatment of psoriasis.
