A Multifunctional Hydrogel Microneedle Patch for Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a prevalent chronic inflammatory skin condition caused by immune dysregulation, oxidative stress, and bacterial invasion in the pathogenesis. Currently, oral administration of immunosuppressants such as cyclosporine and the topical application of corticosteroids are the primary treatment approaches for alleviating AD symptoms. However, these treatments have limitations associated with therapeutic efficacy and side effects. Here, we develop a functional hydrogel-based microneedle patch using phenylboronic acid-modified hyaluronic acid (HA-PBA) as the matrix and tannic acid (TA)/silver nanoparticles (TA/Ag NPs) as the cross-linker for controlled transdermal delivery of cyclosporine to treat AD. Our findings demonstrate that this hydrogel microneedle patch exhibited good biocompatibility, ROS scavenging, bacterial elimination, and ROS-responsive drug-release abilities. Notably, compared to oral cyclosporine, the microneedle-mediated transdermal administration achieved superior therapeutic effects at only 29% of the oral dosage in the MC903-induced AD mouse model. We believe that this multifunctional hydrogel microneedle patch provides a potent therapeutic option for ameliorating AD pathology.