Issue 9, 2023

Transdermal on-demand drug delivery based on an iontophoretic hollow microneedle array system

Abstract

Transdermal drug delivery has emerged as an alternative administration route for therapeutic drugs, overcoming current issues in oral and parenteral administration. However, this technology is hindered by the low permeability of the stratum corneum of the skin. In this work, we develop a synergic combination of two enhancing technologies to contribute to an improved and on-demand drug delivery through an iontophoretic system coupled with hollow microneedles (HMNs). For the first time, a polymeric HMN array coupled with integrated iontophoresis for the delivery of charged molecules and macromolecules (e.g. proteins) is devised. To prove the concept, methylene blue, fluorescein sodium, lidocaine hydrochloride, and bovine serum albumin–fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugate (BSA-FITC) were first tested in an in vitro setup using 1.5% agarose gel model. Subsequently, the ex vivo drug permeation study using a Franz diffusion cell was conducted, exhibiting a 61-fold, 43-fold, 54-fold, and 17-fold increment of the permeation of methylene blue, fluorescein sodium, lidocaine hydrochloride, and BSA-FITC, respectively, during the application of 1 mA cm−2 current for 6 h. Moreover, the total amount of drug delivered (i.e. in the skin and receptor compartment) was analysed to untangle the different delivery profiles according to the types of molecule. Finally, the integration of the anode and cathode into an iontophoretic hollow microneedle array system (IHMAS) offers the full miniaturisation of the concept. Overall, the IHMAS device provides a versatile wearable technology for transdermal on-demand drug delivery that can improve the administration of personalised doses, and potentially enhance precision medicine.

Graphical abstract: Transdermal on-demand drug delivery based on an iontophoretic hollow microneedle array system

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 Feb 2023
Accepted
14 Apr 2023
First published
18 Apr 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Lab Chip, 2023,23, 2304-2315

Transdermal on-demand drug delivery based on an iontophoretic hollow microneedle array system

U. Detamornrat, M. Parrilla, J. Domínguez-Robles, Q. K. Anjani, E. Larrañeta, K. De Wael and R. F. Donnelly, Lab Chip, 2023, 23, 2304 DOI: 10.1039/D3LC00160A

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