School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, China.
J Control Release. 2021 Sep 10;337:676-685. doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2021.08.012. Epub 2021 Aug 8.
Despite their high efficacy and safety, long-acting contraceptive methods are underutilized among women in some settings because they usually require injection or implantation by healthcare personnel. Here, we report a self-administrable microneedle (MN) patch for the rapid administration of a sustained-release contraceptive hormone delivery system into the skin that increases the simplicity and reliability of the MN delivery. We developed an immediate microneedle detachment system using a porous patch backing that has sufficient strength during MN insertion into skin under compression, but enables immediate detachment (< 1 s) of the MNs due to fracture at the MN - backing interface upon patch removal under tension from the skin surface. After patch application, the removed patch produced no biohazardous sharps waste, and was designed to achieve long-acting contraception by formulating poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) MNs to slowly release the contraceptive hormone levonorgestrel for up to 1 month. Our combined strategy using immediate MN detachment in the skin and sustained drug delivery from the MNs could facilitate greater access to long-acting contraception by providing a simple and convenient option for self-administered, long-acting contraception.
尽管长效避孕方法具有高效和安全的特点，但在某些情况下，女性对其使用率仍然较低，因为这些方法通常需要医护人员进行注射或植入。在这里，我们报告了一种可自我管理的微针（MN）贴片，用于快速将缓释避孕激素输送系统递送至皮肤中，从而提高 MN 输送的简单性和可靠性。我们开发了一种即时 MN 脱离系统，使用多孔贴片背衬，在 MN 插入皮肤时，背衬在压缩下具有足够的强度，但由于 MN-背衬界面在从皮肤表面去除贴片时因张力而断裂，因此能够立即脱离 MN（<1 秒）。贴片应用后，去除的贴片不会产生生物危害锐器废物，并通过将微针配方为缓慢释放避孕药左炔诺孕酮的聚（乳酸-共-乙醇酸）微针来设计，以实现长达 1 个月的长效避孕。我们在皮肤中使用即时 MN 脱离和 MN 持续药物输送的联合策略，可以通过提供一种简单方便的自我管理长效避孕选择，为更多人提供长效避孕。
