School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Mercer University, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA.
Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2020 Jan 1;153:195-215. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2019.10.004. Epub 2019 Oct 18.
The progress in microneedle research is evidenced by the transition from simple 'poke and patch' solid microneedles fabricated from silicon and stainless steel to the development of bioresponsive systems such as hydrogel-forming and dissolving microneedles. In this review, we provide an outline on various microneedle fabrication techniques which are currently employed. As a range of factors, including materials, geometry and design of the microneedles, affect the performance, it is important to understand the relationships between them and the resulting delivery of therapeutics. Accordingly, there is a need for appropriate methodologies and techniques for characterization and evaluation of microneedle performance, which will also be discussed. As the research expands, it has been observed that therapeutics delivered via microneedles has gained expedited access to the lymphatics, which makes them a favorable delivery method for targeting the lymphatic system. Such opportunity is valuable in the area of vaccination and treatment of lymphatic disorders, which is the final focus of the review.
微针研究的进展体现在从简单的“戳刺和贴片”硅和不锈钢制成的实心微针向水凝胶形成和溶解微针等生物响应系统的发展的转变。在这篇综述中，我们提供了目前使用的各种微针制造技术的概述。由于包括材料、微针的几何形状和设计在内的一系列因素都会影响性能，因此了解它们之间的关系以及由此产生的治疗药物的传递非常重要。因此，需要适当的方法和技术来对微针性能进行表征和评估，这也将在文中进行讨论。随着研究的扩展，人们已经观察到通过微针输送的治疗药物已经迅速进入了淋巴管，这使得它们成为靶向淋巴系统的一种有利的输送方法。这种机会在疫苗接种和淋巴系统疾病治疗领域具有重要意义，这也是本文的最后重点。
