Issue

Vol. 17 (2025)

Microneedle-Based Approaches for Skin Disease Treatment

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01662-y
Yanhua Han
State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome, Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, People’s Republic of China
Xiaoyu Qin
State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome, Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, People’s Republic of China
Weisen Lin
State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome, Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, People’s Republic of China
Chen Wang
State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome, Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, People’s Republic of China
Xuanying Yin
State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome, Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, People’s Republic of China
Jiaxin Wu
State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome, Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, People’s Republic of China
Yang Chen
NMPA Key Laboratory for Research of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome, Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, People’s Republic of China
Xiaojia Chen
State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau 999078, People’s Republic of China
Tongkai Chen
State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome, Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Tongkai Chen

chentongkai@gzucm.edu.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 17 (2025), Article Number: 132

Abstract

The use of microneedles (MNs) has been established as an effective transdermal drug delivery strategy that has been extensively deployed for treating various diseases, including skin diseases. MNs can surpass the constraints of conventional drug delivery methods by their superior safety and efficacy through precise targeting, while simultaneously enabling painless delivery. Currently, MNs are increasingly used as carriers for drug delivery, with the loading of insoluble drugs to improve their treatment efficiency or combining with bioactive substances for the construction of an efficient drug delivery system to maximize the effects of bioactive substances. The methods used for preparation MNs are diverse, enabling them to meet the requirements of most applications. The emergence of MNs has addressed the shortcomings associated with insoluble drugs, expanded the applications of bioactive substances, and improved their use in clinical practice. This review summarizes current information on the application of MNs in a variety of skin diseases, such as psoriasis, vitiligo, alopecia, hypertrophic scarring, atopic dermatitis, melanoma, acne, and skin infections. The current clinical applications and future opportunities for MNs in the treatment of skin diseases are also discussed. Despite substantial progress in the clinical application of MNs as delivery vectors, issues such as low drug loading and poor mechanical strength during MNs preparation remain the main challenges. Therefore, clinical implementation of MNs-based therapies remains limited, highlighting key opportunities for future research.


Highlights:
1 Microneedles (MNs) are used extensively for treating skin diseases due to their capability to provide less-invasive targeted drug delivery.
2 Intelligent MNs can be fabricated from biocompatible materials with specialized properties, thereby providing improved treatment efficacy.
3 Currently, there are limitations in the clinical application of MNs, highlighting the significance of further investigation to facilitate the translation of this innovative technology into patient treatment contexts.

Keywords

Microneedles Androgenetic alopecia Psoriasis Atopic dermatitis Hypertrophic scars Melanoma
Han, Yanhua, Xiaoyu Qin, Weisen Lin, Chen Wang, Xuanying Yin, Jiaxin Wu, Yang Chen, Xiaojia Chen, and Tongkai Chen. 2025. “Microneedle-Based Approaches for Skin Disease Treatment”. Nano-Micro Letters 17 (February):132. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01662-y.
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