TY - JOUR
T1 - Microneedles
T2 - A versatile strategy for transdermal delivery of biological molecules
AU - Lim, Dong Jin
AU - Vines, Jeremy B.
AU - Park, Hansoo
AU - Lee, Soo Hong
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2018/4/15
Y1 - 2018/4/15
N2 - Human skin is made up of multiple layers and is designed to protect the human body. The stratum corneum (SC), specifically, is a keratinized layer of skin through which molecules heavier than 500 Da cannot penetrate. Traditional methods of transdermal drug delivery through the SC, such as hypodermic needles, are less than ideal because their size and appearance can cause fear and pain, creating hesitation, limiting self-administration, and preventing their use in some patients altogether. A new technology has been developed to address these limitations, in which an array of needles, each microns in diameter and length, called microneedles, are able to pierce the skin's SC to deliver therapeutic agents without stimulating the proprioceptive pain nerves. These needles provide a strong advantage because they are capable of being incorporated into patches that can be conveniently self-administered by patients, while also offering the same bioabsorption and bioavailability currently provided by hypodermic needles. There have been many advancements in microneedle fabrication, and there are currently many variations of microneedle technology. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to provide a broad, introductory summary of current microneedle technology.
AB - Human skin is made up of multiple layers and is designed to protect the human body. The stratum corneum (SC), specifically, is a keratinized layer of skin through which molecules heavier than 500 Da cannot penetrate. Traditional methods of transdermal drug delivery through the SC, such as hypodermic needles, are less than ideal because their size and appearance can cause fear and pain, creating hesitation, limiting self-administration, and preventing their use in some patients altogether. A new technology has been developed to address these limitations, in which an array of needles, each microns in diameter and length, called microneedles, are able to pierce the skin's SC to deliver therapeutic agents without stimulating the proprioceptive pain nerves. These needles provide a strong advantage because they are capable of being incorporated into patches that can be conveniently self-administered by patients, while also offering the same bioabsorption and bioavailability currently provided by hypodermic needles. There have been many advancements in microneedle fabrication, and there are currently many variations of microneedle technology. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to provide a broad, introductory summary of current microneedle technology.
KW - Biomacromolecules
KW - Microneedles
KW - Microscale Fabrication
KW - Polymers
KW - Transdermal Drug Delivery
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85041545684&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2017.12.027
DO - 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2017.12.027
M3 - Review article
C2 - 29223756
AN - SCOPUS:85041545684
SN - 0141-8130
VL - 110
SP - 30
EP - 38
JO - International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
JF - International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
ER -