Lim Dong-Jin, Kim Hong-Jun
Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294-0012, USA.
Department of Korean Medical Prescription, College of Korean Medicine, Woosuk University, Jeonju 54986, Korea.
Polymers (Basel). 2022 Apr 15;14(8):1608. doi: 10.3390/polym14081608.
Human skin is a multilayered physiochemical barrier protecting the human body. The stratum corneum (SC) is the outermost keratinized layer of skin through which only molecules with less or equal to 500 Da (Dalton) in size can freely move through the skin. Unfortunately, the conventional use of a hypothermic needle for large therapeutic agents is susceptible to needle phobia and the risk of acquiring infectious diseases. As a new approach, a microneedle (MN) can deliver therapeutically significant molecules without apparent limitations associated with its molecular size. Microneedles can create microchannels through the skin's SC without stimulating the proprioceptive pain nerves. With recent technological advancements in both fabrication and drug loading, MN has become a versatile platform that improves the efficacy of transdermally applied therapeutic agents (TAs) and associated treatments for various indications. This review summarizes advanced fabrication techniques for MN and addresses numerous TA coating and TA elution strategies from MN, offering a comprehensive perspective on the current microneedle technology. Lastly, we discuss how microneedling and microneedle technologies can improve the clinical efficacy of a variety of skin diseases.
人体皮肤是保护人体的多层物理化学屏障。角质层（SC）是皮肤最外层的角质化层，只有尺寸小于或等于500道尔顿（Da）的分子才能自由穿过皮肤。不幸的是，传统的用于大型治疗剂的低温针容易引发针头恐惧症和感染传染病的风险。作为一种新方法，微针（MN）可以递送具有治疗意义的分子，而不受其分子大小的明显限制。微针可以在不刺激本体感受性疼痛神经的情况下穿过皮肤的角质层形成微通道。随着制造和药物加载方面的最新技术进步，微针已成为一个多功能平台，可提高经皮应用治疗剂（TAs）的疗效以及针对各种适应症的相关治疗效果。本综述总结了微针的先进制造技术，并探讨了多种微针给药涂层和微针给药洗脱策略，对当前的微针技术提供了全面的视角。最后，我们讨论了微针疗法和微针技术如何提高多种皮肤疾病的临床疗效。
