Promising Strategies for Transdermal Delivery of Arthritis Drugs: Microneedle Systems
Jitong Wang,
Jia Zeng,
Zhidan Liu,
Qin Zhou,
Xin Wang,
Fan Zhao,
Yu Zhang,
Jiamiao Wang,
Minchen Liu,
Ruofei Du
Affiliations
Jitong Wang
Engineering Research Center of Modern Preparation Technology of TCM of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Jia Zeng
NHC Key Lab of Reproduction Regulation, Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Reproductive Health Drug and Devices, Shanghai 200032, China
Zhidan Liu
Department of Rehabilitation, Baoshan Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, Shanghai 201999, China
Qin Zhou
Engineering Research Center of Modern Preparation Technology of TCM of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Xin Wang
Engineering Research Center of Modern Preparation Technology of TCM of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Fan Zhao
Engineering Research Center of Modern Preparation Technology of TCM of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Yu Zhang
Engineering Research Center of Modern Preparation Technology of TCM of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Jiamiao Wang
School of Pharmacy, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Minchen Liu
Engineering Research Center of Modern Preparation Technology of TCM of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Ruofei Du
Engineering Research Center of Modern Preparation Technology of TCM of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Arthritis is a general term for various types of inflammatory joint diseases. The most common clinical conditions are mainly represented by rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, which affect more than 4% of people worldwide and seriously limit their mobility. Arthritis medication generally requires long-term application, while conventional administrations by oral delivery or injections may cause gastrointestinal side effects and are inconvenient for patients during long-term application. Emerging microneedle (MN) technology in recent years has created new avenues of transdermal delivery for arthritis drugs due to its advantages of painless skin perforation and efficient local delivery. This review summarizes various types of arthritis and current therapeutic agents. The current development of MNs in the delivery of arthritis drugs is highlighted, demonstrating their capabilities in achieving different drug release profiles through different self-enhancement methods or the incorporation of nanocarriers. Furthermore, the challenges of translating MNs from laboratory studies to the clinical practice and the marketplace are discussed. This promising technology provides a new approach to the current drug delivery paradigm in treating arthritis in transdermal delivery.
