3D printed microneedles for transdermal drug delivery: A brief review of two decades

Nafiseh Elahpour; Farnoosh Pahlevanzadeh; Mahshid Kharaziha; Hamid Reza Bakhsheshi-Rad; Seeram Ramakrishna; Filippo Berto

doi:10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.120301

3D printed microneedles for transdermal drug delivery: A brief review of two decades

Int J Pharm. 2021 Mar 15:597:120301. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.120301. Epub 2021 Feb 1.

Authors

Nafiseh Elahpour¹, Farnoosh Pahlevanzadeh¹, Mahshid Kharaziha², Hamid Reza Bakhsheshi-Rad³, Seeram Ramakrishna⁴, Filippo Berto⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran.
² Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran. Electronic address: ma.kharaziha@gmail.com.
³ Advanced Materials Research Center, Department of Materials Engineering, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran. Electronic address: rezabakhsheshi@gmail.com.
⁴ Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 117576, Singapore. Electronic address: seeram@nus.edu.sg.
⁵ Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway.

PMID: 33540018
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.120301

Abstract

Microneedle (MN) technology shows excellent potential in controlled drug delivery, which has got rising attention from investigators and clinics. MNs can pierce through the stratum corneum layer of the skin into the epidermis, evading interaction with nerve fibers. MN patches have been fabricated using various types of materials and application processes. Recently, three-dimensional (3D) printing gives the prototyping and manufacturing methods the flexibility to produce the MN patches in a one-step manner with high levels of shape complexity and duplicability. This review aims to go through the last successes in 3D printed MN-based patches. In this regard, after the evaluation of various types of MNs and fabrication techniques, we will study different 3D printing approaches applied for MN patch fabrication. We further highlight the state of the art of the long-acting MNs and related progress with a specific look at what should come within the scope of upcoming researches.

Keywords: Microneedle patch; Three-dimensional printing strategy; Transdermal drug delivery.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Administration, Cutaneous
Drug Delivery Systems
Needles*
Pharmaceutical Preparations*
Printing, Three-Dimensional
Skin

Substances

Pharmaceutical Preparations