Microneedle is a promising and effective way for transdermal drug delivery. Conventional materials for microneedles include silicon, metals and polymers. However they pose some problems on production cost, mechanical properties and biocompatibility with humans.This work presents zeolite as a competitive and biocompatible material for microneedles. A low-cost, scalable fabrication process was developed that produces zeolite microneedles of good mechanical strength. The biocompatibility of zeolite microneedles was examined on rat and no acute allergic response was observed. An active infusion transdermal patch using the new zeolite microneedles was assembled and tested both in-vitro and in-vivo. A smart polymer was used to provide linear delivery of analgesic and insulin. In-vitro diffusion study has been carried out using the patch across pig skin, while in-vivo study was done on diabetic rat. The results show that constant delivery rate of pharmaceuticals can be maintained in both tests.

Design of zeolite microneedles for regulated transdermal drug delivery

244th National Meeting (2012)

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