Coated Microneedle Technology

Coated microneedles are mainly used for the delivery of water-soluble drugs, with fast release in the skin, high bioavailability and easy control of the drug dose, and are suitable for both small and large molecule drugs. The thickness of the coating and the surface area of the needle determine the drug loading capacity of the coated microneedles, but the stability of the coating layer needs to be ensured so that it will not easily fall off. CD Formulation can provide coating microneedle preparation technology to prepare microneedles of different materials and sizes for better development of drug delivery systems by our customers.

Fig. 1 SEM images of coated microneedles. (Mutlu et al., 2021)

About Coated Microneedles

Coated microneedles are usually based on metal or silicon microneedles because they have an effective insertion method that not only ensures sufficient mechanical strength to penetrate the skin, but also acts as a vehicle for drug carriage and accumulation in the skin. Coated microneedles are capable of retaining drugs at specific depths in the skin, saving a certain amount of drug dose, and are independent of drug diffusion and can be stored independently, making them suitable for protein, peptide and vaccine applications.

Coated Microneedle Preparation Services

1. Design of coated formulations

For coated microneedles, the design of the coating formulation is an important part of the process, as it is necessary to ensure film-forming ability and coating adhesion, as well as film uniformity, coating dissolution rate and a certain drug loading capacity.

2. Preparation methods

Coating methods such as dip coating, roller coating, layer coating and spraying.

3. Drug delivery method

After the CMNs coated with water-soluble drug are inserted into the skin, the drug is dissolved from the CMNs coating into the skin, and then the microneedle is withdrawn.

CD Formulation also provides you with a wide range of methods for physical and chemical analysis of coating microneedles and drug release capability testing.

Applications of Coated Microneedles

Delivery of insulin diabetes

Encapsulation of highly insulin-loaded gold nanocluster (AuNC) nanocarrier drugs in microneedle bodies allows microneedles to have a glucose-responsive insulin release mechanism. Upon entry into the skin and stimulation by glucose, the gold nanocluster drug carriers break down and release the insulin contained therein, resulting in a decrease in blood glucose levels.

Delivery of anti-tumor drugs

When the microneedle patch is inserted into the skin, the glucose in the blood will be converted into gluconic acid by the glucose oxidase in the patch. The acidic environment causes the dissociation of glucan nanoparticles, which triggers the release of anti-PD1 in large quantities, saving T cells from apoptosis to retain their activity and killing tumor cells to achieve the anti-tumor effect.

Vaccination

Microneedle patch can replace the traditional needle and syringe to some extent for immunization.

Medical aesthetics

The microneedle patch is used continuously for three weeks, twice a week, lasting 25 minutes each time. The subjects were then evaluated by a dermatologist in a blinded sample, and the effect of the experiment was assessed in conjunction with the fold parameters measured by the instrument. The subjects showed a significant decrease in mean roughness index and mean rippling of the skin compared to the control group.

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