Therapeutic Hydrogel Microneedle Patch for Burn Wound Field Care

The current standard of care (SOC) for battlefield burn wound management is dry sterile gauze. While this does provide exudate management and some barrier function by limiting exposure to the environment, it does little to treat the burn injury or improve healing outcomes. In this study, we developed a therapeutic microneedle patch (MNP) comprised of a hydrogel for point of injury (POI) burn wound stabilization. The hydrogel microneedles were loaded with agents that can mitigate the impediments to wound healing, including ibuprofen (IBU) to manage inflammation, deferoxamine (DFO) to support neovascularization, and infection prevention in the form of azithromycin (AZ). Hydrogel MNPs were fabricated and characterized for size, shape, and release kinetics of loaded agents. Loaded therapeutic hydrogel microneedle patches (THMNPs) were confirmed as noncytotoxic <i>in vitro</i> prior to <i>in vivo</i> testing in a porcine model of deep partial-thickness contact burn injury. <i>In vivo</i> studies employed therapies within a battlefield-relevant timeline and compared THMNPs to unloaded MNPs as well as two forms of military SOC, dry sterile gauze and Silverlon antimicrobial dressing. Animal studies were taken out to 28 days to observe relevant wound healing outcomes, including reductions in burn progression, re-epithelialization, and inflammation. THMNPs were ultimately found to be applicable for battlefield burn wound care in the tested model.