Design and Evaluation of Complex Polypeptide-Loaded Dissolving Microneedles for Improving Facial Wrinkles in Different Areas

Abstract

Wrinkles are one of the most intuitive manifestations of skin aging. Complex polypeptide-loaded dissolving microneedles (CP-DMNs) for facial wrinkles in different areas have been developed and evaluated for the first time. In optimizing formulations, we compared the differences in CP-DMNs heights on skin insertion depth and skin repair and healing. Furthermore, systemic safety experiments were carried out to provide a reference for clinical application. On this basis, an 84-day efficacy assessment based on the improvement of facial wrinkles in different areas and a comparison between CP-DMNs vs. placebo was performed on 30 healthy subjects. As a result, DMNs with a height of 300 μm presented sufficient strength to pierce the stratum corneum with minimized skin damage. In addition, CP-DMNs possessed excellent biological safety and skin compatibility for clinical application. Compared with placebo, CP-DMNs exhibited obvious improvements in wrinkles distributed in the corners of eyes, under-eyes, and nasolabial folds. Furthermore, after using CP-DMNs for 84 days, facial wrinkles in five different areas were smoothed. In short, the complex polypeptides showed apparent anti-wrinkle efficacy with the aid of DMNs technology, and CP-DMNs seemed to work better on deeper wrinkles, such as frown lines and nasolabial folds.

Clinical Development and Evaluation of a Multi-Component Dissolving Microneedle Patch for Skin Pigmentation Disorders

“…However, an excessive needle height can cause skin damage. Xing et al [ 38 ] assessed the impact of three various heights of MNs (230 m, 500 m, and 700 m) on penetration depth and skin recovery. Among them, the depth of penetration of the 230 m MNs into the skin was 85 ± 12 m, and the skin could recover within 30 min.…”

Research Progress of Extracellular Vesicles-Loaded Microneedle Technology

“…On the one hand, MNs can effortlessly puncture tissues, change the local stress environment, induce skin collagen deposition and reorganization, and provide natural mechanical stimulation for tissue regeneration and wound repair [ 112 , 113 ]. On the other hand, MNs fully demonstrate their potential in diabetes, superficial tumors, Alzheimer’s disease, infected wounds, contraception, and other therapeutically diverse applications by carrying a wide range of drugs, including small or large molecules, vaccines, nucleic acids, nanoparticles, EVs, and cells, among others [ 12 , 59 , 114 , 115 , 116 ].…”

Beyond Traditional Medicine: EVs-Loaded Hydrogels as a Game Changer in Disease Therapeutics

“…With the improvement of life quality, EVs have also attracted increasing interest from the beauty industry. Dermatologists and cosmetologists are committed to skin renewal and repair, and anti-wrinkle is one of the top research priorities [ 184 , 185 ]. HA-based hydrogels are used to develop new fillers that are highly effective in repairing the damaged dermal microenvironment [ 186 ].…”