Dissolving Hyaluronic Acid-Based Microneedles to Transdermally Deliver Eugenol Combined with Photothermal Therapy for Acne Vulgaris Treatment

Abstract

A microneedle transdermal drug delivery system simultaneously avoids systemic toxicity of oral administration and low efficiency of traditional transdermal administration, which is of great significance for acne vulgaris therapy. Herein, eugenol-loaded hyaluronic acid-based dissolving microneedles (E@P-EO-HA MNs) with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities are developed for acne vulgaris therapy via eugenol transdermal delivery integrated with photothermal therapy. E@P-EO-HA MNs are pyramid-shaped with a sharp tip and a hollow cavity structure, which possess sufficient mechanical strength to penetrate the stratum corneum of the skin and achieve transdermal delivery, in addition to excellent <i>in vivo</i> biocompatibility. Significantly, E@P-EO-HA MNs show effective photothermal therapy to destroy sebaceous glands and achieve antibacterial activity against deep-seated <i>Propionibacterium acnes</i> (<i>P. acnes</i>) under near-infrared-light irradiation. Moreover, cavity-loaded eugenol is released from rapidly dissolved microneedle bodies to play a sustained antibacterial and anti-inflammatory therapy on the <i>P. acnes</i> infectious wound. E@P-EO-HA MNs based on a synergistic therapeutic strategy combining photothermal therapy and eugenol transdermal administration can significantly alleviate inflammatory response and ultimately facilitate the repair of acne vulgaris. Overall, E@P-EO-HA MNs are expected to be clinically applied as a functional minimally invasive transdermal delivery strategy for superficial skin diseases therapy in skin tissue engineering.