Authors
Jianhua Zhang, Hengjie Zhang, Tianyou Wang, Wenjing Liu, Bao Xia, Liping Huang, Haoxing Wu, Yiwen Li, Zhipeng Gu
Published in
Science advances. Volume 12. Issue 39. Pages eaei6340. Sep 25, 2026. Epub Sep 23, 2026.
Abstract
Photo-crosslinked microneedles (MNs) are widely used in biomedical applications, but their dependence on exogenous photoinitiators continues to pose a fundamental challenge to their further advancement. Herein, we have developed a hydrogel MN system loaded with self-assembled nanoparticles (NPs). The NPs are composed of natural polyphenols and indomethacin. The MN system is rapidly dissolving and is fabricated through an initiator-free photo-crosslinking process. Systematic investigation of the gel composition, swelling behavior, and mechanical properties of lipoic acid-modified gelatin (GelLA)-based MNs demonstrated both swelling and mechanical strength could be readily tuned. Notably, the tunable mechanical feature of GelLA enabled effective penetration of the stratum corneum, facilitating efficient transdermal drug delivery. Compared with gelatin methacryloyl, GelLA-based hydrogel MNs prepared at the same concentration exhibited superior biocompatibility, while eliminating the potential cytotoxicity associated with exogenous photoinitiators. Further in vivo evaluation in an acute gouty arthritis model demonstrated that the MN system could significantly alleviate joint inflammation through rapid drug release, highlighting its potent anti-inflammatory efficacy. Overall, this initiator-free, photo-crosslinkable GelLA-based MNs system offered a safe, efficient, and user-friendly strategy for local drug delivery in the management of acute gouty arthritis.
PMID:
42777044
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 24 Sep 2026.
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