Triple-Shielded Microneedle Patch: A Synergistic Approach to Combat Infection, Oxidation and Inflammation in Wound
Xingkai Ju1,2, Jiao Kong1,2, Erkang Wang1,2
1Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin, China.
Abstract:
The rapid healing of infected wounds remains a critical clinical challenge, as it is driven by a pathological cascade of persistent inflammation, excessive oxidative stress, and microbial colonization that collectively compromise tissue regeneration. Herein, to address these interconnected barriers, we developed a synergistic tri-functional (three-effect) therapeutic microneedle patch (MN-AT). The developed MN-AT platform was engineered using a biocompatible thiolated chitosan (CSSH)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) viscoelastic hydrogel as the matrix, integrated with a tea polyphenol-magnesium (TP-Mg) antioxidant complex, and surface-functionalized through grafting of amino-terminated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). In vitro studies demonstrated that the as-fabricated MN-AT platform can simultaneously achieve: (1) potent antibacterial activity, (2) effective free radical scavenging to mitigate oxidative stress, and (3) suppression of excessive inflammation through macrophage polarization modulation - thereby remodeling the immune microenvironment into a pro-healing state. In a murine infection model, the use of MN-AT patch significantly accelerated wound closure and enhanced collagen deposition. This multifunctional microneedle patch system presents an efficient and innovative strategy for infected wound treatment via synergistic antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory actions.
