Abstract
Dissolving microneedles (DMNs) have been used as an alternative drug delivery system to deliver therapeutics across the skin barrier in a painless manner. In this study, we propose a novel heat-melting method for the fabrication of hydrophobic poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) DMNs, without the use of potentially harmful organic solvents. The drug-loaded PLGA mixture, which consisted of a middle layer of the DMN, was optimized and successfully implanted into ex vivo porcine skin. Implanted HMP-DMNs separated from the patch within 10 min, enhancing user compliance, and the encapsulated molecules were released for nearly 4 weeks thereafter. In conclusion, the geometry of HMP-DMNs was successfully optimized for safe and effective transdermal sustained drug delivery without the use of organic solvents. This study provides a strategy for the innovative utilization of PLGA as a material for transdermal drug delivery systems.
Highlights
Dissolving microneedles (DMNs) have been developed to pierce the skin barrier and release encapsulated therapeutics into the epidermal layer in a minimally invasive manner [1,2,3]
The temperature control unit, which retains the liquid state of the poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) mixture at 100 ◦ C, was critical for fabricating the HMP-DMN. Scale bar: μm. (HMP-DMN) patch without a solvent, because the DMN is shaped by the viscous liquid state
Owing to the thermoplastic property of PLGA, the heat-melted PLGA could fill the mold and compose the HMP-DMN patch without the need for toxic organic solvents
Summary
Dissolving microneedles (DMNs) have been developed to pierce the skin barrier and release encapsulated therapeutics into the epidermal layer in a minimally invasive manner [1,2,3]. DMNs provide potentially painless drug administration and lessen the side effects of hypodermic injection, such as hazardous waste and the probability of infection caused by reused needles [6,7,8] Based on these advantages, DMNs have been widely researched in the fields of diabetes, vaccinations, and cancer therapy [9,10,11]. DMNs have been widely researched in the fields of diabetes, vaccinations, and cancer therapy [9,10,11] Hydrophilic polymers such as sodium hyaluronate (HA), carboxymethyl cellulose, and polyvinyl pyrrolidone have been widely used for generating the DMN matrix, because they allow for an easy fabrication process [12]. In the case of targeting diseases that require continuous medication, such as chronic pain, hypertension, or alopecia areata, hydrophilic polymers are not suitable for the generation of the DMN matrices
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