Microorganism microneedle micro-engine depth drug delivery
As a transdermal drug delivery method, microneedles offer minimal invasiveness, painlessness, and precise in-situ treatment. However, current microneedles rely on passive diffusion, leading to uncontrollable drug penetration. To overcome this, we developed a pneumatic microneedle patch that uses live Enterobacter aerogenes as microengines to actively control drug delivery. These microbes generate gas, driving drugs into deeper tissues, with adjustable glucose concentration allowing precise control over the process. Our results showed that this microorganism-powered system increases drug delivery depth by over 200%, reaching up to 1000 μm below the skin. In a psoriasis animal model, the technology effectively delivered calcitriol into subcutaneous tissues, offering rapid symptom relief. This innovation addresses the limitations of conventional microneedles, enhancing drug efficiency, transdermal permeability, and introducing a creative paradigm for on-demand controlled drug delivery.
Authors
- Yang Bai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1534-8483)
- Yanhong Duo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4569-0933)
- Laiping Fang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5827-9327)
- Boxi Shen
- Bin Zheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0369-5560)
- Shixiang Cheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2529-719X)
- Xingcai Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7114-1095)
- Xiaolu Cai
- Yan Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4242-4840)
- Zhengyu Wu
- Qiuya Li
- Bowen Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0801-2175)
Institutions
- Harvard University (US)
- Jinan University (CN)
- Tianjin University (CN)
- Tianjin Medical University General Hospital (CN)
- Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (CN)
- Tianjin Stomatological Hospital (CN)
- Stanford Medicine (US)
- Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (CN)
- Huazhong University of Science and Technology (CN)
- Tianjin Medical University (CN)
- Stanford University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2024-10-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53280-8
- Citations
- 64
- Primary Topic
- Advancements in Transdermal Drug Delivery
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 13.31
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin City
- National Key Research and Development Program of China