The combination of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy (PTT) plays a significant role in synergistic tumor therapy. However, a high dosage of chemotherapy drugs or photothermal agents may cause series side effects. To overcome these challenges, we designed a near-infrared (NIR) responsive PEGylated gold nanorod (GNR-PEG) coated poly(l-lactide) microneedle (PLLA MN) system (GNR-PEG@MN) to enhance antitumor efficiency of docetaxel-loaded MPEG-PDLLA (MPEG-PDLLA-DTX) micelles for treating an A431 tumor. The as-made GNR-PEG@MNs contained only 31.83 ± 1.22 μg of GNR-PEG per patch and exhibited excellent heating efficacy both in vitro and in vivo. Meanwhile, GNR-PEG@MN with the height of 480 μm had good skin insertion ability and was harmless to the skin. On the other hand, GNR-PEG@MN had good heating transfer ability in vivo, and the tumor sites could reach 50 °C within 5 min. In comparison with chemotherapy and PTT alone, the combination of low dosage MPEG-PDLLA-DTX micelles (5 mg/kg) and GNR-PEG@MNs completely eradicated the A431 tumor without recurrence in vivo, demonstrating a remarkable synergetic effect. Hence, GNR-PEG@MN could be a promising carrier to enhance the antitumor effect of MPEG-PDLLA-DTX micelles for treating superficial tumors and is expected to have a great potential in clinical translation for human epidermoid cancer therapy.

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Currently, epidermoid cancer is one of the most common malignancies among Caucasians. Traditional treatment may yield uncomfortable side effects for the patient. In order to solve these problems, the authors develop a near-infrared (NIR) responsive PEGylated gold nanorod (GNR-PEG) and doxorubicin (DOX) loaded dissolvable hyaluronic acid (HA) microneedle (GNR-PEG&DOX@HA MN) for human epidermoid cancer therapy. The as-made GNR-PEG&DOX@HA MNs has good skin penetration capability and heating ability. The heating can be transferred to the center of the tumor sites and the temperature is shown to rise up to 60°C within 5 min. Meanwhile, the release behavior of the DOX from GNR-PEG&DOX@HA MNs can be controlled by NIR light. The GNR-PEG&DOX@HA MNs shows good cell inhibition, and the photothermal effect is shown to completely destroy A431 cells in vitro. For in vivo antitumor study, the group treated with GNR-PEG&DOX@HA MNs transcutaneously reveals a remarkable antitumor efficacy, such that all mice are cured without recurrence under only one treatment. Hence, this novel transdermal drug delivery strategy offers hope to human epidermoid cancer therapy, and GNR-PEG&DOX@HA MN may serve as a promising candidate in clinical translation for human epidermoid cancer therapy.

A method for the generation of visible-light-controllable drug release on microneedles is developed by host–guest chemistry. In response to visible light irradiation, model drugs encapsulated on polyelectrolyte multilayers transfer into the skin following brief microneedle application.

Human Epidermoid Cancer In article no. https://doi.org/10.1002/adtp.201800008, ZhiYong Qian and co‐workers develop a near‐infrared (NIR) responsive PEGylated gold nanorod (GNR‐PEG) and doxorubicin (DOX) loaded dissolvable hyaluronic acid (HA) microneedle (GNR‐PEG&DOX@HA MN) for human epidermoid cancer therapy. The GNR‐PEG&DOX@HA MNs have good skin penetration capability and the release behavior of the DOX from GNR‐PEG&DOX@HA MNs can be controlled by near infra‐red light. An in vivo antitumor study, shows that transcutaneously delivered GNR‐PEG&DOX@HA MNs demonstrates remarkable antitumor efficacy, such that all treated mice were cured without recurrence after only one treatment.