Development of dissolvable microneedle patches by CNC machining and micromolding for drug delivery

Abstract

This study reports the fabrication of microneedles using computer numerical control (CNC) machining and micromolding for replicating dissolvable microneedles (DMNs) for drug delivery. Despite the ease of use and simple manufacturing by CNC, this method has not been extensively studied for the fabrication of microneedles. The master molds were fabricated using CNC machining; subsequently, DMNs embedded with fluorescent dye as a drug model were prepared using a hyaluronic acid (HA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) solution in a rapid and comparatively simple micromolding process. The microneedles were evaluated for mechanical strength and penetration efficiency. The drug diffusion from DMNs was elucidated through confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) imaging. The results show that fabricated DMNs are mechanically strong enough to penetrate the skin dermis layer and deliver their therapeutic cargo. In conclusion, CNC machining can provide rapid and low-cost fabrication of master molds, facilitating DMNs production for transdermal drug delivery.