Sargioti Nikoletta, Levingstone Tanya J, O'Cearbhaill Eoin D, McCarthy Helen O, Dunne Nicholas J
School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Dublin City University, Collins Avenue, D09 Y074 Dublin, Ireland.
Centre for Medical Engineering Research, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Dublin City University, Stokes Building, Collins Avenue, D09 Y074 Dublin, Ireland.
Bioengineering (Basel). 2022 Dec 23;10(1):24. doi: 10.3390/bioengineering10010024.
Current procedures for transdermal drug delivery (TDD) have associated limitations including poor administration of nucleic acid, small or large drug molecules, pain and stress for needle phobic people. A painless micro-sized device capable of delivering drugs easily and efficiently, eliminating the disadvantages of traditional systems, has yet to be developed. While polymeric-based microneedle (MN) arrays have been used successfully and clinically as TDD systems, these devices lack mechanical integrity, piercing capacity and the ability to achieve tailored drug release into the systemic circulation. Recent advances in micro/nano fabrication techniques using Additive Manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, have enabled the fabrication of metallic MN arrays, which offer the potential to overcome the limitations of existing systems. This review summarizes the different types of MNs used in TDD and their mode of drug delivery. The application of MNs in the treatment of a range of diseases including diabetes and cancer is discussed. The potential role of solid metallic MNs in TDD, the various techniques used for their fabrication, and the influence of their geometrical characteristics (e.g., shape, size, base diameter, thickness, and tip sharpness) on effective TDD are explored. Finally, the potential and the future directions relating to the optimization of metallic MN arrays for TDD are highlighted.
当前的经皮给药（TDD）程序存在相关局限性，包括核酸、小分子或大分子药物给药效果不佳，以及给恐针人群带来疼痛和压力。一种能够轻松、高效给药且消除传统系统缺点的无痛微型装置尚未研发出来。虽然基于聚合物的微针（MN）阵列已成功用于临床作为TDD系统，但这些装置缺乏机械完整性、穿刺能力以及实现向体循环中定制药物释放的能力。使用增材制造（AM）（也称为3D打印）的微/纳米制造技术的最新进展，使得金属MN阵列的制造成为可能，这为克服现有系统的局限性提供了潜力。本综述总结了TDD中使用的不同类型的微针及其给药方式。讨论了微针在包括糖尿病和癌症在内的一系列疾病治疗中的应用。探讨了固体金属微针在TDD中的潜在作用、用于其制造的各种技术，以及其几何特征（如形状、尺寸、基部直径、厚度和针尖锐度）对有效TDD的影响。最后，强调了优化用于TDD的金属MN阵列的潜力和未来方向。
