A Porous Reservoir-Backed Boronate Gel Microneedle for Efficient Skin Penetration and Sustained Glucose-Responsive Insulin Delivery

Abstract

Recently, phenylboronic acid (PBA) gel containing microneedle (MN) technology with acute and sustained glucose-sensitive functionality has attracted significant research attention. Herein, we report a polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)-coated MNs patch with an interconnected porous gel drug reservoir for enhanced skin penetration efficiency and mechanical strength. The hybrid MNs patch fabricated with a novel, efficient method displayed a “cake-like” two-layer structure, with the tip part being composed of boronate-containing smart gel attached to a porous gel layer as a drug reservoir. The porous structure provides the necessary structural support for skin insertion and space for insulin loading. The mechanical strength of the hybrid MNs patch was further enhanced by surface coating with crystallized PVA. Compared with MNs patches attached to hollow drug reservoirs, this hybrid MNs patch with a porous gel reservoir was shown to be able to penetrate the skin more effectively, and is promising for on-demand, long-acting transdermal insulin delivery with increased patient compliance.

Biodegradable double-network GelMA-ACNM hydrogel microneedles for transdermal drug delivery

“…MNs can deliver a wide range of therapeutic molecules in a minimally invasive manner without damaging neurons in the dermis ( Zhu et al, 2020 ). Compared with the existing percutaneous drug delivery strategies, MNs-mediated transdermal drug delivery facilitates convenient and painless local drug delivery and even achieve self-administration ( Chen et al, 2022 ).…”

Biomaterial-mediated strategies for accurate and convenient diagnosis, and effective treatment of diabetes: advantages, current progress and future perspectives

“…28 (2) Through the combined use of the microneedle patch and glucose responsive biomaterials for antidiabetic drug delivery, intelligent patches could be fabricated to achieve controllable and smart release of insulin. For example, Chen et al prepared a smart microneedle patch made from phenylboronic acid (PBA) and porous gels loaded with insulin, which could provide long-term controllable insulin release and had reversibility, 29 and Zhang et al added gold nanoclusters decorated with PBA and insulin to the gelatin-starch mixture and thus formed a patch system, which could effectively release insulin and prolong the time of blood glucose stability. 30 (3) The use of hydrogels, nanogels or vesicles to wrap antidiabetic drugs for subcutaneous injection could prolong the normal time of blood glucose.…”

Response Surface Methodology for Optimization of Hydrogel-Forming Microneedles as Rapid and Efficient Transdermal Microsampling Tools

“…MNs have been investigated for the delivery of drug molecules or the monitoring of biomarkers [ 4 , 5 ], which can be categorized into solid, hollow, coated, dissolving, porous, and hydrogel-forming MNs [ 6 ]. Among them, hydrogel-forming MNs are fabricated by covalently or non-covalently crosslinked three-dimensional networks of hydrophilic polymers.…”