Iontophoresis-Driven Porous Microneedle Array Patch for Active Transdermal Drug Delivery

Abstract

Transdermal patch combined microneedle array (MA) with iontophoresis can achieve synergistic and remarkable enhancement for drug delivery with precise electronic control. However, development of a MA patch combined with iontophoresis, that is in situ treatment, easy self-administration, and controllable delivery of liquid macromolecular drugs, is still a challenge. Here, we presented a novel iontophoresis-driven porous MA patch (IDPMAP) for in situ, patient-friendly, and active delivery of charged macromolecular drugs. IDPMAP integrates porous MA with iontophoresis into a single transdermal patch, realizing one-step drug administration strategy of “Penetration, Diffusion and Iontophoresis”. Moreover, a matching portable iontophoresis-driven device was developed for drug self-administration of IDPMAP. In vitro and in vivo studies showed that IDPMAP had excellent skin penetration ability, negligible cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility without skin irritation and hypersensitivity. In vivo transdermal insulin delivery in type-1 diabetic rats demonstrated that IDPMAP could effectively deliver insulin nanovesciles and produce robust hypoglycemic effect on diabetic rats, with more advanced controllability and efficiency compared with pristine MA or iontophoresis. IDPMAP and its portable iontophoresis-driven device are user-friendly that shows a promising potential for drug self-administration at home.

Keywords: Transdermal drug delivery, Porous microneedle array, Iontophoresis, Skin penetration, Diabetes