Biocompatible All-in-One Adhesive Needle-Free Cup Patch for Enhancing Transdermal Drug Delivery

Abstract

Patch-type drug delivery has garnered increased attention as an attractive alternative to the existing drug delivery techniques. Thus far, needle phobia and efficient drug delivery remain huge challenges. To address the issue of needle phobia and enhance drug delivery, we developed a needle-free and self-adhesive microcup patch that can be loaded with an ultrathin salmon DNA (SDNA) drug carrier film. This physically integrated system can facilitate efficient skin penetration of drugs loaded into the microcup patch. The system consists of three main components, namely, a cup that acts as a drug reservoir, an adhesive system that attaches the patch to the skin, and physical stimulants that can be used to increase the efficiency of drug delivery. In addition, an ultrathin SDNA/drug film allows the retention of the drug in the cup and its efficient release by dissolution in the presence of moisture. This latter feature has been validated using gelatin as a skin mimic. The cup design itself has been validated by comparing its deformation and displacement with those of a cylindrical structure. Integration of the self-adhesive microcup patch with both ultrasonic waves and an electric current allows the model drug to penetrate the stratum corneum of the skin barrier and the whole epidermis, thereby enhancing transdermal drug delivery and reducing skin irritation. This system can be used as a wearable biomedical device for efficient transdermal and needle-free drug delivery.

Functional Asymmetry-Enabled Self-Adhesive Film via Phase Separation of Binary Polymer Mixtures for Soft Bio-Integrated Electronics

“…Dissolving microneedles are a patch-type drug delivery system that requires an adhesive film that adapts well to the skin and does not easily fall off to achieve ideal penetration and fixation. , The developed film has the advantage that it can be integrated into the dissolving microneedle manufacturing process as a biocompatible asymmetric adhesive film, which is an essential element of such drug delivery systems. Figure a shows the process for combining microneedles and the prepared attachable film, and how to attach it to the skin.…”

Novel Double-Layer Dissolving Microneedles for Transmucosal Sequential Delivery of Multiple Drugs in the Treatment of Oral Mucosa Diseases

“…Traditional local oral mucosal treatments include film administration and local injection . The typical film administration is noninvasive, and gels, ointments, and patches , are used. However, the osmotic barrier formed by the outermost layer of the oral mucosa affects the efficiency of local administration .…”

Smart Skin‐Adhesive Patches: From Design to Biomedical Applications

“…[ 3 ] Furthermore, wearable transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) has been prevalent for noninvasive and stimuli‐responsive drug release via permeating skin structure to the bloodstream, enabling treatment on purpose (auto‐medication). [ 4 ] Numerous recent studies reported various types of skin‐patchable devices for different biomedical applications, including drug delivery, [ 2,5 ] wound healing, [ 6 ] treatment of myocardial infarction, [ 7 ] and tissue engineering. [ 8 ] To this end, advanced technologies from different fields, including selection of correct materials (e.g., biopolymers and nanomaterials), [ 9 ] adopting suitable fabrication methods (e.g., soft lithography and 3D printing) [ 10 ] and designing specific biochemical reactions have been to fabricate functional skin patches for transdermal theragnostics.…”