Cover
Vol. 3 No. 2 (2025)

Published: December 1, 2025

Pages: 132-153

Original Article

Microneedles: A Revolutionizing Model of Drug Delivery System in Pharmaceutics with Minimal Invasion

Abstract

One of the most interesting pharmaceutical drug delivery systems with minimally invasive technique are Microneedles. In the recent years, many researchers have concluded that Microneedles can be a leading method in the future. As a drug delivery system, Microneedles can improve drug delivery by avoiding many barriers that were linked with the conventional system, these unique properties could make Microneedles widely used. The primary mechanism for improving drug delivery to the targeted site with minimal complications is by creating micro-sized pores in the skin layer. The growing interest of Microneedles in biomedical and pharmaceutical research is obtained by easy delivery of active ingredient with low invasive technique. Vaccines, peptides, and hormones are examples of molecules delivered by Microneedles. In this review, we will discuss Microneedles efficiency as drug delivery carriers, fabrication materials, and several related patents

References

  1. Dugam S, Tade R, Dhole R, Nangare S. Emerging era of microneedle array for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications: recent advances and toxicological perspectives. Future Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2021 Dec;7:1–26.
  2. Nangare S, Tade RS, Dugam S, Shitole MM. Progress in erectile dysfunction therapy via drug delivery system. Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (TJPS). 2020 Jun 15;44(2).
  3. Barry BW. Novel mechanisms and devices to enable successful transdermal drug delivery. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2001 Sep 1;14(2):101–14.
  4. Mogusala NR, Devadasu VR, Venisetty RK. Fabrication of microneedle molds and polymer based biodegradable microneedle patches: a novel method. American Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics. 2015;2(2):60–71.
  5. Ashique S, Khatun T, Upadhyay A, Verma S, Tyagi S, Iqbal A, Kayes I. Micro-needles as an effective drug delivery system and associated patents in pharmaceutical field: A Review. Biological Sciences. 2021 Apr 22;1(1):53–66.
  6. Jung JH, Jin SG. Microneedle for transdermal drug delivery: current trends and fabrication. Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation. 2021 Mar 4:1–5.
  7. Prausnitz MR. Microneedles for transdermal drug delivery. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews. 2004 Mar 27;56(5):581–7.
  8. Filho D, Guerrero M, Pariguana M, Marican A, Durán-Lara EF. Hydrogel-based microneedle as a drug delivery system. Pharmaceutics. 2023;15(10):2444.
  9. Banga AK. Transdermal and intradermal delivery of therapeutic agents: application of physical technologies. CRC Press; 2011 May 16.
  10. Larrañeta E, McCrudden MT, Courtenay AJ, Donnelly RF. Microneedles: a new frontier in nanomedicine delivery. Pharmaceutical Research. 2016 May;33:1055–73.
  11. Marshall S, Sahm LJ, Moore AC. The success of microneedle-mediated vaccine delivery into skin. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics. 2016 Nov 1;12(11):2975–83.
  12. Ling MH, Chen MC. Dissolving polymer microneedle patches for rapid and efficient transdermal delivery of insulin to diabetic rats. Acta Biomaterialia. 2013 Nov 1;9(11):8952–61.
  13. Madhusoodanan G, Roy AA, Kalkundri T, Preman NK, Rana K, Datta D, Mutalik S. Evolving transdermal therapeutics: a review on self-dissolving polymeric microneedles via 3D printing. RSC Advances. 2025;15(40):33312–33335.
  14. Garland MJ, Singh TR, Woolfson AD, Donnelly RF. Electrically enhanced solute permeation across poly(ethylene glycol)–crosslinked poly(methyl vinyl ether-co-maleic acid) hydrogels: Effect of hydrogel crosslink density and ionic conductivity. International Journal of Pharmaceutics. 2011 Mar 15;406(1–2):91–8.
  15. Liu Y, Mao R, Han S, Yu Z, Xu B, Xu T. Polymeric microneedle drug delivery systems: mechanisms of treatment, material properties, and clinical applications—a comprehensive review. Polymers. 2024;16(18):2568.
  16. Nuxoll E. BioMEMS in drug delivery. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews. 2013 Nov 15;65(11–12):1611–25.
  17. Evens T, Malek O, Castagne S, Seveno D, Van Bael A. A novel method for producing solid polymer microneedles using laser ablated moulds in an injection moulding process. Manufacturing Letters. 2020 Apr 1;24:29–32.
  18. Economidou SN, Pissinato Pere CP, Okereke M, Douroumis D. Optimisation of design and manufacturing parameters of 3D printed solid microneedles for improved strength, sharpness, and drug delivery. Micromachines. 2021;12(2):117.
  19. Tucak A, Sirbubalo M, Hindija L, Rahić O, Hadžiabdić J, Muhamedagić K, Čekić A, Vranić E. Microneedles: Characteristics, materials, production methods and commercial development. Micromachines. 2020 Oct 27;11(11):961.
  20. Pradhan SK, Nayak A, Thakur SS, Francis V, Nagargoje A. Fundamentals and Applications of Additive Manufacturing: Hardware, Software, Methods, Materials and Future Trends. CRC Press; 2025.
  21. Oliveira C, Teixeira JA, Oliveira N, Ferreira S, Botelho CM. Microneedles’ device: design, fabrication, and applications. Macromol. 2024;4(2):320–355.
  22. Fidan I, Huseynov O, Ali MA, Alkunte S, Rajeshirke M, Gupta A, Sharma A. Recent inventions in additive manufacturing: Holistic review. Inventions. 2023;8(4):103.
  23. Al-Nimry SS, Daghmash RM. Three dimensional printing and its applications focusing on microneedles for drug delivery. Pharmaceutics. 2023;15(6):1597.
  24. Olowe M, Parupelli SK, Desai S. A review of 3D-printing of microneedles. Pharmaceutics. 2022;14(12):2693.
  25. Prasad LK, Smyth H. 3D Printing technologies for drug delivery: a review. Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy. 2016 Jul 2;42(7):1019–31.
  26. Jamróz W, Szafraniec J, Kurek M, Jachowicz R. 3D printing in pharmaceutical and medical applications–recent achievements and challenges. Pharmaceutical Research. 2018 Sep;35:1–22.
  27. Gittard SD, Miller PR, Jin C, Martin TN, Boehm RD, Chisholm BJ, Stafslien SJ, Daniels JW, Cilz N, Monteiro-Riviere NA, Nasir A. Deposition of antimicrobial coatings on microstereolithography-fabricated microneedles. JOM. 2011 Jun;63:59–68.
  28. Sharaf A. Development of two-photon polymerization-based protocols for the investigation of neuronal mechanobiology. 2025.
  29. Zhang W, Zhang W, Li C, Zhang J, Qin L, Lai Y. Recent advances of microneedles and their application in disease treatment. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2022;23(5):2401.
  30. Mdanda S, Ubanako P, Kondiah PP, Kumar P, Choonara YE. Recent advances in microneedle platforms for transdermal drug delivery technologies. Polymers. 2021;13(15):2405.
  31. Huang J, Xiao K. Nanoparticles-based strategies to improve the delivery of therapeutic small interfering RNA in precision oncology. Pharmaceutics. 2022;14(8):1586.
  32. Dong L, Li Y, Li Z, Xu N, Liu P, Du H, Zhang Y, Huang Y, Zhu J, Ren G, Xie J. Au nanocage-strengthened dissolving microneedles for chemo-photothermal combined therapy of superficial skin tumors. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. 2018 Mar 1;10(11):9247–56.
  33. Fan Z, Liang C, Zhang J, Li Y, Tan L, Deng H, Tao J. Multimodal Synergistic Strategies for Diabetic Wound Healing Using Glucose Oxidase Nanocomposites: Therapeutic Mechanisms and Nanomaterial Design. International Journal of Nanomedicine. 2025;5727–5762.
  34. Jung HH, Lee H, Yea J, Jang KI. Wearable electrochemical sensors for real-time monitoring in diabetes mellitus and associated complications. 2024.
  35. Yu J, Zhang Y, Ye Y, DiSanto R, Sun W, Ranson D, Ligler FS, Buse JB, Gu Z. Microneedle-array patches loaded with hypoxia-sensitive vesicles provide fast glucose-responsive insulin delivery. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2015 Jul 7;112(27):8260–5.
  36. Juhaščik M, Kováčik A, Huerta-Ángeles G. Recent advances of hyaluronan for skin delivery: From structure to fabrication strategies and applications. Polymers. 2022;14(22):4833.
  37. Dangol M, Kim S, Li CG, Lahiji SF, Jang M, Ma Y, Huh I, Jung H. Anti-obesity effect of a novel caffeine-loaded dissolving microneedle patch in high-fat diet-induced obese C57BL/6J mice. Journal of Controlled Release. 2017 Nov 10;265:41–7.
  38. Bajrovic I, Schafer SC, Romanovicz DK, Croyle MA. Novel technology for storage and distribution of live vaccines and other biological medicines at ambient temperature. Science Advances. 2020;6(10):eaau4819.
  39. Ding Z, Verbaan FJ, Bivas-Benita M, Bungener L, Huckriede A, van den Berg DJ, Kersten G, Bouwstra JA. Microneedle arrays for the transcutaneous immunization of diphtheria and influenza in BALB/c mice. Journal of Controlled Release. 2009 May 21;136(1):71–8.
  40. Ranamukhaarachchi S. Skin mechanics, intradermal delivery and biosensing with hollow metallic microneedles (Doctoral dissertation, University of British Columbia). 2017.
  41. Ciui B, Martin A, Mishra RK, Brunetti B, Nakagawa T, Dawkins TJ, Lyu M, Cristea C, Sandulescu R, Wang J. Wearable wireless tyrosinase bandage and microneedle sensors: toward melanoma screening. Advanced Healthcare Materials. 2018 Apr;7(7):1701264.
  42. Zhou Q, Li H, Liao Z, Gao B, He B. Bridging the gap between invasive and noninvasive medical care: emerging microneedle approaches. Analytical Chemistry. 2023;95(1):515–534.
  43. Liu Y, Mao R, Han S, Yu Z, Xu B, Xu T. Polymeric microneedle drug delivery systems: mechanisms of treatment, material properties, and clinical applications—a comprehensive review. Polymers. 2024;16(18):2568.
  44. Yang J, Liu X, Fu Y, Song Y. Recent advances of microneedles for biomedical applications: drug delivery and beyond. Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B. 2019 May 1;9(3):469–83.
  45. Mahajan S, Choudhary S, Gayakwad D, Koka DS, Sharma DP, Darwhekar DN. Review on Microneedle Drug Delivery System. World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. 2021 Jul 6.
  46. Kochhar JS, Tan JJ, Kwang YC, Kang L. Microneedles for transdermal drug delivery. Springer Nature Switzerland AG: Springer International Publishing; 2019.
  47. Anastassakis K. The Dermaroller Series. Private Paper. 2005.
  48. Hiraishi Y, Nakagawa T, Quan YS, Kamiyama F, Hirobe S, Okada N, Nakagawa S. Performance and characteristics evaluation of a sodium hyaluronate-based microneedle patch for a transcutaneous drug delivery system. International Journal of Pharmaceutics. 2013;441(1–2):570–579.
  49. Qoreishi SH, Gholizadeh N, Rokni GR, Babaei M. Advancements in Acne Scar Treatment: Exploring Novel Therapies. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2025;24(5):e70183.
  50. Tabassum N, Alba M, Yan L, Voelcker NH. Porous silicon microneedles for enhanced transdermal drug delivery. Advanced Therapeutics. 2023;6(1):2200156.