微针经皮给药技术

微针是介于皮下注射和透皮贴剂之间的一种给药方式,利用在皮肤角质层产生的微小孔道来显著增加药物的经皮吸收。综述微针经皮给药技术的研究进展,介绍制造微针的材料和方法、微针的给药方式及其在经皮给药系统中的应用。     

微针与新型经皮给药载体结合的研究进展

经皮给药系统具有给药方便、血药浓度稳定、无首过效应等优点,但皮肤的屏障作用使得药物难以透过皮肤。近年来,出现了很多新型经皮给药的药物载体,如脂质体、醇质体、囊泡等,这些能通过化学方法促进药物的经皮渗透。而微针能穿透皮肤角质层形成微孔通道,通过物理方法促进药物的渗透,将微针与新型经皮给药载体结合能显著提高药物的经皮吸收的速率。本文对微针与新型经皮给药载体结合的最新研究进行了综述,并展望了微针辅助新型药物载体经皮给药的发展前景。     

微针在儿童经皮递药中的研究进展

与传统的口服和肠外给药途径相比,经皮给药系统作为一种非侵入性替代方法非常有吸引力。特别对于儿童患者,它有助于克服该群体特有的问题,如吞咽困难、口服制剂的适口性以及与针头相关的恐惧和疼痛。然而,儿童的皮肤屏障功能有效地限制了药物的经皮吸收。微针可突破皮肤最外层的角质层,增加经皮给药的药量。过去几十年,以微针为基础药物输送系统的研究取得了显著进展。与微针相关的研究论文呈指数级激增。本文概括了微针的分类及特点,讨论了微针在儿童经皮递药中的研究进展,最后对微针介导的儿童经皮递药的未来前景进行了简要展望。     

伤口治疗用载药微针的研究进展

在伤口治疗过程中,因皮肤屏障的限制,药物在角质层积聚使得治疗效率低。微针是治疗伤口的一种新型药物递送系统,可刺穿皮肤的表皮层,将药物送入真皮层,从而发挥促进伤口愈合的作用。该文综述了近几年国内外用于伤口治疗的微针系统,根据微针负载的药物对研究进行分类,并讨论了微针系统在促进伤口愈合方面的优势,总结了微针用于治疗伤口的未来前景和挑战。     

VaxInnate公司将透皮微针技术应用于流感疫苗给药制剂

美国VaxInnate公司日前获准（非独家）将3M药物制剂公司的透皮微针技术用于制备其开发的M2e通用型流感疫苗的透皮贴剂。3M公司的这种显微结构透皮系统技术采用了生物相容性聚合物微针,可避开皮肤角质层而将疫苗、蛋白质和肽类等药物注入机体,使用者几乎无不适感。这些大分子药物很难通过传统的透皮给药途径而进入机体。2008年7月3M公司的John Simons博士在国际缓控释学会会议上报告称,纳洛酮通过这种微针透皮贴剂可在约30秒内完成给药,其生物利用度与皮下注射给药相当。     

生物可降解微针的研究进展

微针给药是一种新型的经皮给药方式,可在皮肤上创造微米级的药物运输通道,增强皮肤对药物尤其是大分子药物的渗透性,且不会到达神经分布丰富的皮肤深层组织。生物可降解微针是以生物可降解材料为基质制作出的微针,除具有一般微针的优点,其具有的生物可降解特性解决了微针一旦断裂于皮肤内难以处理这一难题。因此生物可降解微针有望成为经皮给药的理想载体。本文对生物可降解微针的特点、制作方法、基质的选择、在经皮给药系统中的应用以及存在的问题等进行了概述。     

微针技术的研究进展

微针以微机电系统(m icroelectro-mechani-cal systems,MEMS)技术为基础,在近年来发展迅速。本文主要介绍微针的制备方法,插入皮肤的机制,微针给药的特点以及微针的应用,详细介绍了微针在经皮给药中的应用。由于微针给药可以避免胃肠道对药物的降解作用和肝脏的首过效应等口服给药的缺点,并可消除注射给药时引起的疼痛,随着其发展不断完善,微针给药将会有广阔的应用前景。     

新型经皮传递胰岛素透明质酸微针制剂的制备及性能考察

目的证明透明质酸微针制剂在药物经皮传递系统方面的应用前景。方法通过皮肤及微针的显微照片考察微针刺入皮肤的性能和在大鼠体内的溶解性能;用皮肤刺激性实验评价透明质酸微针的安全性;以人的离体皮肤为透皮释药模型,通过体外经皮通透实验考察微针对模型药物胰岛素经皮吸收的促进作用。结果微针能够均匀刺穿角质层,在皮肤表面产生与微针一致的阵列形状,在皮肤断面可观察到直至真皮层的通道;在大鼠体内使用1 h后,针体能够完全溶解,皮肤刺激性指数为1.7,属于轻度刺激性;体外经皮实验中,微针中的胰岛素能够以活性形式释放,与同剂量的溶液相比,微针对胰岛素的体外经皮吸收具有显著的促进作用,稳态通透速率达75.33×10-6U.cm-2.h-1。结论以透明质酸为基质制备的微针具有良好的皮肤刺入性、溶解性和轻度的刺激性,对于生物大分子类药物的经皮吸收有明显的促进作用,具有良好的开发前景。     

日夜两用生长激素微针贴片的制备及体外评价

目的 制备日夜两用生长激素微针贴片，模拟人体生理状态下内源性生长激素分泌的昼夜差异，实现生长激素给药时间和用量的优化，同时有效减轻皮下注射给药疼痛感，提高患者使用依从性。方法 采用铸模法制备微针贴片，通过光学显微镜和扫描电子显微镜观察微针表面形貌。经体外释放试验确定含生长激素微针制备的最佳工艺条件，包括优化紫外交联时间和交联剂含量。通过微针力学强度测试和体外透皮试验验证微针贴片有效穿透皮肤的可行性，通过圆二色光谱测定药物的稳定性。通过调试负载不同剂量生长激素制备日用和夜用微针贴片。结果 在显微镜下观察到微针排列整齐，针体完整、尖锐，微针在药物释放前后形貌无明显差异。工艺优化结果表明，当紫外交联时间为7 min，交联剂用量为1.5%时，微针贴片可以有效穿透离体大鼠皮肤，同时实现了生长激素在12 h内稳定释放，且微针释放出的蛋白药物构象无明显变化。通过在针体中负载不同剂量生长激素，制备了日用和夜用生长激素微针贴片。结论 本研究制备的微针能够顺应在生理状态下生长激素分泌的日夜差异，实现了适宜时间释放适量生长激素的目标，未来可进一步优化微针药物负载量以满足不同患者的实际使用需求，以期实现个体化治疗。     

难溶性多西紫杉醇的溶解微针制备及体外评价

目的:制备一种用于透皮给药的负载多西紫杉醇(DTX)的溶解微针,并进行体外评价。方法:考察不同材料及配方制备DTX溶解微针(DTX-MN),通过外观和力学性能指标对微针进行表征,测定微针针头载药量。使用猪皮肤考察微针溶解性能。剥离小鼠腹部皮肤,进行体外透皮吸收研究,初步考察DTX-MN给药后的皮肤药代动力学。结果:成功制备了针头完整、力学性能良好的DTX-MN,最佳工艺得到的微针针头载药量为(14.81±4.20)μg (n=5),微针能完整插入皮肤穿透角质层屏障,且在10 min内完全溶解。体外透皮实验显示,DTX-MN的初始透皮速率和累积透皮通量都高于药物溶液组,相比溶液组,DTX-MN在24 h后累积渗透量提高了3.27倍,其释放机制符合Fickian扩散。结论:制备的DTX-MN有良好的穿刺皮肤的性能,能够显著促进DTX的透皮递送,该类微针有望促进DTX的浅表皮肤递送,具有潜在的临床应用价值。     

Microneedles and transdermal applications

With the limitations of oral drug delivery and the pain and needle phobias associated with traditional injections, drug delivery research has focused on the transdermal delivery route. A formidable barrier to transdermal drug delivery is the stratum corneum, the superficial layer of the skin. In the last 10 years, microneedles were proposed as a mechanical tool to pierce through the stratum corneum, in order to create drug delivery channels without stimulating underlying pain nerves. Since then, the field of microneedles has rapidly evolved to spawn a plethora of potential transdermal applications. In this review, the authors provide an overview of the progress in microneedle research and design, and the advancements that have been made in employing this technology for transdermal applications.     

Microneedles: a valuable physical enhancer to increase transdermal drug delivery

Transdermal drug delivery offers an attractive alternative to the conventional drug delivery methods of oral administration and injection. However, the stratum corneum acts as a barrier that limits the penetration of substances through the skin. Recently, the use of micron-scale needles in increasing skin permeability has been proposed and shown to dramatically increase transdermal delivery. Microneedles have been fabricated with a range of sizes, shapes, and materials. Most in vitro drug delivery studies have shown these needles to increase skin permeability to a broad range of drugs that differ in molecular size and weight. In vivo studies have demonstrated satisfactory release of oligonucleotides and insulin and the induction of immune responses from protein and DNA vaccines. Microneedles inserted into the skin of human subjects were reported to be painless. For all these reasons, microneedles are a promising technology to deliver drugs into the skin. This review presents the main findings concerning the use of microneedles in transdermal drug delivery. It also covers types of microneedles, their advantages and disadvantages, enhancement mechanisms, and trends in transdermal drug delivery.     

Proteins and peptides: strategies for delivery to and across the skin

Despite the increased availability of therapeutic proteins and peptides, delivery remains almost entirely via hypodermic needle. Transdermal delivery offers an attractive noninvasive route of administration but is limited by the skin's barrier to penetration. Extensive research has been directed at developing effective methods to enhance delivery of peptides and proteins to and across the skin. Strategies include formulation optimisation, conjugation to increase peptide lipophilicity and incorporation of chemical or biological modifiers to transiently reduce stratum corneum barrier function. A number of physical technologies, including iontophoresis, electroporation and sonophoresis, have been developed that apply different forms of energy to disrupt the barrier. In addition, minimally invasive techniques, such as microneedles and jet propulsion, bypass the stratum corneum barrier to permit direct access to the viable epidermis. This article reviews the current state of the art in the delivery of proteins and peptides to and across the skin.     

Transdermal iontophoresis: combination strategies to improve transdermal iontophoretic drug delivery.

For several decades, there has been interest in using the skin as a port of entry into the body for the systemic delivery of therapeutic agents. However, the upper layer of the skin, the stratum corneum, poses a barrier to the entry of many therapeutic entities. Given a compound, passive delivery rate is often dependent on two major physicochemical properties: the partition coefficient and solubility. The use of chemical enhancers and modifications of the thermodynamic activity of the applied drug are two frequently employed strategies to improve transdermal permeation. Chemical enhancers are known to enhance drug permeation by several mechanisms which include disrupting the organized intercellular lipid structure of the stratum corneum , 'fluidizing' the stratum corneum lipids , altering cellular proteins, and in some cases, extracting intercellular lipids . However, the resulting increase in drug permeation using these techniques is rather modest especially for hydrophilic drugs. A number of other physical approaches such as iontophoresis, sonophoresis, ultrasound and the use of microneedles are now being studied to improve permeation of hydrophilic as well as lipophilic drugs. This article presents an overview of the use of iontophoresis alone and in conjunction with other approaches such as chemical enhancement, electroporation, sonophoresis, and use of microneedles and ion-exchange materials.     

Strategies for overcoming the stratum corneum

Transdermal drug delivery has many advantages over the oral administration of drugs. This is the reason why many researchers have extensively investigated the transdermal absorption of drugs. However, a much smaller number of drugs are marketed using this route of delivery, compared to oral dosage forms, because drug absorption across the skin is very low due to the stratum corneum (the main barrier for drug absorption across the skin). Overcoming the penetration barrier would significantly improve the development of an efficient transdermal drug delivery system. Several techniques have been developed, or are under development, to bypass the stratum corneum. Approaches that have been made to overcome the stratum corneum fit into five different categories: (i) device and formulation; (ii) modification of stratum corneum by chemical enhancers; (iii) ablation; (iv) bypassing the stratum corneum via appendages; and (v) electrically assisted methods such as iontophoresis and electroporation. Furthermore, possible combinatorial uses of several approaches have been studied. Although the safety issues of these synergistic approaches still require clarification, several combinations could be promising. Finally, there is a necessity to regulate the intradermal disposition of drugs to develop a more efficient transdermal drug delivery system after overcoming the skin barrier.     

Penetration enhancement of transdermal delivery--current permutations and limitations

In order to achieve enhanced topical drug delivery, it is necessary to make physical or biomolecular structural alterations to the stratum corneum by suitable techniques or by the use of specific chemical agents or drug carriers. The role of the chemical penetration enhancer is to reversibly alter the barrier properties of the stratum corneum by disruption of the membrane structures or by maximizing drug solubility within the skin. Alternatively, permeant delivery to the dermal vasculature using one of several physical methods to reduce diffusional resistance within the skin may be used to promote drug penetration. In the present article, we summarize the major facets of the diverse spectrum of penetration enhancement techniques that include modification of the stratum corneum, lipid-based delivery systems, drug/vehicle interactions, bypassing the stratum corneum, and electrical techniques of enhancement.     

Microneedles: an emerging transdermal drug delivery system

Objectives One of the thrust areas in drug delivery research is transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDS) due to their characteristic advantages over oral and parenteral drug delivery systems. Researchers have focused their attention on the use of microneedles to overcome the barrier of the stratum corneum. Microneedles deliver the drug into the epidermis without disruption of nerve endings. Recent advances in the development of microneedles are discussed in this review for the benefit of young scientists and to promote research in the area. Key findings Microneedles are fabricated using a microelectromechanical system employing silicon, metals, polymers or polysaccharides. Solid coated microneedles can be used to pierce the superficial skin layer followed by delivery of the drug. Advances in microneedle research led to development of dissolvable/degradable and hollow microneedles to deliver drugs at a higher dose and to engineer drug release. Iontophoresis, sonophoresis and electrophoresis can be used to modify drug delivery when used in concern with hollow microneedles. Microneedles can be used to deliver macromolecules such as insulin, growth hormones, immunobiologicals, proteins and peptides. Microneedles containing ‘cosmeceuticals’ are currently available to treat acne, pigmentation, scars and wrinkles, as well as for skin tone improvement. Summary Literature survey and patents filled revealed that microneedle‐based drug delivery system can be explored as a potential tool for the delivery of a variety of macromolecules that are not effectively delivered by conventional transdermal techniques.     

Microneedles as transdermal delivery systems: combination with other enhancing strategies

Transdermal drug delivery has exhaustively been studied over the past decades due to its multiple advantages over other administration routes; however, drugs that can be administered by this via are few owe to the stratum corneum permeability properties. Recently, several strategies to bypass the upper-layer skin barrier have been developed. One of the latest advances in this area has been the use of micro-scale needles, which painlessly pierce skin, increasing the passage of drugs with unfavourable skin permeability (i.e., low potent, hydrophilic, high molecular drugs) by several orders of magnitude, by bypassing the stratum corneum. Microneedles have shown to be safe and easy-to-use for drug administration, a nouvelle alternative to hypodermic needle injections, and an array in which drugs can be included to attain a controlled release as to achieve a higher drug delivery. Several works have demonstrated that such devices dramatically increase transdermal delivery of large molecules, thus nowadays microneedles have been regarded as a potential technology approach to be employed alone or with other enhancing methods such as electroporation and iontophoresis, as well as with different drug carriers (e.g., lipid vesicles, micro- and nanoparticles). Hence, this review is mainly focused on presenting the results obtained when combining microneedles with a variety of strategies to ease drug diffusion through skin, including physical enhancers and drug carrier systems.     

Microneedles and their applications

Microneedle mediated microporation has proved its potential to enhance the delivery of therapeutic drug molecules through skin over the last one decade. Several patents have been granted and cutting edge research is going on particularly for the delivery of biopharmaceuticals (macromolecules like protein or peptides). The technology involves use of micron sized needles made of diverse materials to form microchannels into the stratum corneum (or deeper), outermost barrier layer of the skin. These microchannels are deep enough to facilitate efficient drug delivery through disrupted stratum corneum but short enough to avoid bleeding or pain. So far, the microneedle technology has been explored for drug and vaccine delivery through transcutaneous route. However, the miniaturized nature of these microneedles and anticipated minimal invasiveness has led the scientists to explore and patent its possible use for several other applications.The use of this technology in combination with other enhancement techniques has also gained recent attention. This review article focuses on the latest developments in the field of microneedles as described in patent and research literature. Comprehensive review of several topics including device design/fabrication, formulation development, safety/regulatory issues, therapeutic applications and major challenges in the commercialization of microneedles as medical devices has been presented here.