Nemakhavhani Lufuno, Abrahamse Heidi, Dhilip Kumar Sathish Sundar
Laser Research Centre, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa.
Pharmaceutics. 2025 Apr 28;17(5):579. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics17050579.
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that originates in the melanocytes, the epidermis' basal layer. The skin has traditionally been an attractive administration location for drug delivery in tumor therapy, and it is composed of three layers: the outermost stratum corneum (SC), the middle epidermis, and the deepest layer, the dermis. Melanoma can be treated using a variety of methods, such as chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, and biological therapy, but all are expensive and have side effects. Furthermore, the SC is the primary barrier that contributes to the impermeability of the skin, which is a limitation in epidermal drug transport and can aid in achieving effective drug concentration with minimal side effects at the target location. Microneedles (MNs) are tiny needles that are easy to use, inexpensive, and non-toxic. In recent years, MNs have been significantly studied for the treatment of melanoma due to their excellent biocompatibility, minimal invasion, high patient compliance, simple penetration process, and high SC penetration rate. Most notably, MNs can provide efficient and seldom unpleasant delivery carriers and synergistic effectiveness by combining multi-model techniques with immunotherapy, gene therapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT), and photothermal treatment (PTT). This review will focus on biocompatibility, biodegradability, limitations, fabrication materials, release mechanisms, and delivery of the therapeutics of MNs for melanoma treatment.
黑色素瘤是一种起源于黑素细胞（表皮基底层细胞）的皮肤癌。在肿瘤治疗中，皮肤传统上一直是药物递送的理想给药部位，它由三层组成：最外层的角质层（SC）、中间的表皮层和最深层的真皮层。黑色素瘤可以通过多种方法进行治疗，如化疗、手术、放疗和生物治疗，但这些方法都很昂贵且有副作用。此外，角质层是导致皮肤不透性的主要屏障，这限制了表皮药物转运，并且有助于在目标部位以最小的副作用达到有效的药物浓度。微针（MNs）是微小的针，使用方便、价格低廉且无毒。近年来，由于微针具有优异的生物相容性、微创性、高患者依从性、简单的穿透过程和高角质层穿透率，它们在黑色素瘤治疗方面得到了大量研究。最值得注意的是，通过将多模式技术与免疫疗法、基因疗法、光动力疗法（PDT）和光热疗法（PTT）相结合，微针可以提供高效且很少引起不适的递送载体和协同效应。本综述将聚焦于用于黑色素瘤治疗的微针的生物相容性、生物降解性、局限性、制造材料、释放机制以及治疗药物的递送。
