Smart Responsive Microarray Patches for Transdermal Drug Delivery and Biological Monitoring

Abstract

Traditional drug delivery routes possess various disadvantages which make them unsuitable for certain population groups, or indeed unsuitable for drugs with certain physicochemical properties. As a result, a variety of alternative drug delivery routes have been explored in recent decades, including transdermal drug delivery. One of the most promising novel transdermal drug delivery technologies is a microarray patch (MAP), which can bypass the outermost skin barrier and deliver drugs directly into the viable epidermis and dermis. Unlike traditional MAPs which release loaded cargo simultaneously upon insertion into the skin, stimuli responsive MAPs based on biological stimuli are able to precisely release the drug in response to the need for additional doses. Thus, smart MAPs that are only responsive to certain external stimuli are highly desirable, as they provide safer and more efficient drug delivery. In addition to drug delivery, they can also be used for biological monitoring, which further expands their applications.

Microneedle Patch Loaded with Exosomes Containing MicroRNA‐29b Prevents Cardiac Fibrosis after Myocardial Infarction

“…[47][48][49] MN patches have been widely used to deliver drugs and bioactive factors to treat local and systemic diseases. [50][51][52] In recent years, some groups have started to explore MN patches for MI treatment by the delivery of AAV/gene complexes, [53] vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), [54] and cardiomyocytes. [55][56] However, to the best of our knowledge, there have been no reports on the use of MN patches to deliver exosomes containing therapeutic miRNAs.…”

Stimuli-Responsive Microneedles as a Transdermal Drug Delivery System: A Demand-Supply Strategy

“…Although the stimuli-responsive MNs have significantly addressed the shortcomings of conventional MNs, there are still some of the drawbacks associated with dose loading, optimization of stimuli-triggered drug release, cost-effectiveness, clinical translation, and regulatory approval. Until now, most of the stimuli-responsive MNs have proved their therapeutic efficacy in the in vitro setup, and few studies have showcased the potential application of these MNs on animal models such as mice, rats, and pigs. , Unlike preclinical studies, the clinical trials for “closed-loop” stimuli-responsive MNs need to be carried out by loading larger doses of therapeutic agents for prolonged on-demand drug delivery without human intervention. , These MNs are composed of three major components such as (i) stimuli-responsive materials (to trigger the drug release upon specific stimulus), (ii) polymer or metal-based materials (to provide the mechanical strength to MNs for efficient skin penetration or to trigger the drug release upon specific stimulus or to perform both), and (iii) therapeutic agents to treat the disease condition. Therefore, limited space is available to load a greater amount of therapeutics.…”

“…164,170 Unlike preclinical studies, the clinical trials for "closed-loop" stimuliresponsive MNs need to be carried out by loading larger doses of therapeutic agents for prolonged on-demand drug delivery without human intervention. 182,183 These MNs are composed of three major components such as (i) stimuli-responsive materials (to trigger the drug release upon specific stimulus), (ii) polymer or metal-based materials (to provide the mechanical strength to MNs for efficient skin penetration or to trigger the drug release upon specific stimulus or to perform both), and (iii) therapeutic agents to treat the disease condition. Therefore, limited space is available to load a greater amount of therapeutics.…”

Azide-Locked Prodrug Co-Assembly into Nanoparticles with Indocyanine Green for Chemophotothermal Therapy

“…Presently, therapeutic strategies such as chemotherapy, surgery, and immunotherapy play an important role in clinical treatment of tumors. − However, the low delivery efficiency and weak sensitivity to the tumor microenvironment (TME) limit the treatment outcomes. Thus, it is necessary to develop an advanced delivery technology to promote the development of tumor therapy. − Nanomedicine-based delivery technology can effectively improve drug distribution through selective response to TME. − To investigate this, various matrix materials such as liposomes, − inorganic nanoparticles, − polymeric prodrugs, − small molecular drugs, − and organic/inorganic hybrid matter − have been used for designing the drug carrier. Although tremendous advances have been made, some major difficulties such as complex synthesis and high carrier proportion still exist.…”