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In this manuscript, recent advancements in the area of minimally-invasive transdermal biosensing and drug delivery are reviewed. The administration of therapeutic entities through the skin is complicated by the stratum corneum layer, which serves as a barrier to entry and retards bioavailability. A variety of strategies have been adopted for the enhancement of transdermal permeation for drug delivery and biosensing of various substances. Physical techniques such as iontophoresis, reverse iontophoresis, electroporation, and microneedles offer (a) electrical amplification for transdermal sensing of biomolecules and (b) transport of amphiphilic drug molecules to the targeted site in a minimally invasive manner. Iontophoretic delivery involves the application of low currents to the skin as well as the migration of polarized and neutral molecules across it. Transdermal biosensing via microneedles has emerged as a novel approach to replace hypodermic needles. In addition, microneedles have facilitated minimally invasive detection of analytes in body fluids. This review considers recent innovations in the structure and performance of transdermal systems.

Due to their ability to serve as fluorophores and drug delivery vehicles, quantum dots are a powerful tool for theranostics-based clinical applications. In this study, microneedle devices for transdermal drug delivery were fabricated by means of two-photon polymerization of an acrylate-based polymer. We examined proliferation of cells on this polymer using neonatal human epidermal keratinocytes and human dermal fibroblasts. The microneedle device was used to inject quantum dots into porcine skin; imaging of the quantum dots was performed using multiphoton microscopy.

In this study, the authors examined use of piezoelectric inkjet printing to apply an antifungal agent, voriconazole, to the surfaces of biodegradable polyglycolic acid microneedles. Polyglycolic acid microneedles with sharp tips (average tip radius = 25 ± 3 μm) were prepared using a combination of injection molding and drawing lithography. The elastic modulus (9.9 ± 0.3 GPa) and hardness (588.2 ± 33.8 MPa) values of the polyglycolic acid material were determined using nanoindentation and were found to be suitable for use in transdermal drug delivery devices. Voriconazole was deposited onto the polyglycolic acid microneedles by means of piezoelectric inkjet printing. It should be noted that voriconazole has poor solubility in water; however, it is readily soluble in many organic solvents. Optical imaging, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were utilized to examine the microneedle geometries and inkjet-deposited surface coatings. Furthermore, an in vitro agar plating study was performed on the unmodified, vehicle-modified, and voriconazole-modified microneedles. Unlike the unmodified and vehicle-modified microneedles, the voriconazole-modified microneedles showed antifungal activity against Candida albicans. The unmodified, vehicle-modified, and voriconazole-modified microneedles did not show activity against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, or Staphylococcus aureus. The results indicate that piezoelectric inkjet printing may be useful for loading transdermal drug delivery devices such as polyglycolic acid microneedles with antifungal pharmacologic agents and other pharmacologic agents with poor solubility in aqueous solutions.

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In this study, biodegradable acid anhydride copolymer microneedles containing quantum dots were fabricated by means of visible light dynamic mask micro-stereolithography-micromolding and inkjet printing. Nanoindentation was performed to obtain the hardness and the Young's modulus of the biodegradable acid anhydride copolymer. Imaging of quantum dots within porcine skin was accomplished by means of multiphoton microscopy. Our results suggest that the combination of visible light dynamic mask micro-stereolithography-micromolding and inkjet printing enables fabrication of solid biodegradable microneedles with a wide range of geometries as well as a wide range of pharmacologic agent compositions.

Microneedles are minimally invasive transdermal medical devices that are utilized for various applications, including drug delivery, fluid sampling, micro-dialysis, and electrochemical sensing. These devices are associated with less pain and tissue damage as compared with conventional hypodermic needle-based devices. In this study, we demonstrate fabrication of titanium alloy microneedle arrays with nitrogen-incorporated ultrananocrystalline diamond (N-UNCD) coatings. Microneedles were micromachined from ASTM F136 ELI Ti-6Al-4V alloy, a widely used medical-grade titanium alloy. N-UNCD coatings were deposited on the microneedles using microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition to enhance mechanical strength, increase hardness, improve biocompatibility, and provide an electrochemically stable surface. The structural and chemical properties of the N-UNCD titanium alloy microneedle arrays were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The mechanical robustness and skin penetration capability of the devices were demonstrated using cadaveric porcine skin. Finally, the electrochemical properties of the N-UNCD electrodes were evaluated; in vitro electrochemical detection of uric acid and dopamine was demonstrated using unmodified N-UNCD electrodes.These results demonstrate the application potential of N-UNCD-coated titanium alloy microneedles for transdermal electrochemical biosensing applications.

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