Rational Design and Responsive Transdermal Cargo Delivery of Microneedles in the Treatment of Melanoma

Mengru Cai,1,* Yiman Jia,2,* Tingting Fu,2 Jiahui Kong,2 Yu Qiu,2 Yukun Zhao,1 Xiang Li,1 Yuqin Yang,1 Dong Bai1 1Institute of Basic Theory for Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yuqin Yang, Institute of Basic Theory for Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected] Dong Bai, Institute of Basic Theory for Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: Melanoma is a type of tumor that originates in the skin. Traditional treatment methods are unable to achieve effective drug concentrations at the tumor site. Many new drug delivery systems and treatment strategies have been developed to enhance the therapeutic effect of melanoma. Based on transdermal drug delivery technology, microneedles (MNs) have become a new strategy for the treatment of melanoma. MNs can surpass the limitations of traditional drug delivery methods, achieving remarkable safety and effectiveness, precise targeting, and painless delivery. Currently, MNs are increasingly being used as drug carriers to enhance therapeutic effects by increasing local drug concentrations. Alternatively, MNs are fabricated into platforms with different responsiveness to construct intelligent drug delivery systems, thereby maximizing the efficacy of active substances. This review systematically summarizes the application of MNs in melanoma treatment, including their preparation methods, treatment modes, and responsive design. The advantages and disadvantages of different types of MNs and their applications in the treatment of melanoma have been systematically expounded. Finally, the prospects of intelligent MNs in the treatment of melanoma were also discussed. Although MNs have made significant progress in clinical applications, issues such as the consistency of their size, biocompatibility, and cost control for large-scale production remain major challenges that need to be addressed urgently. Therefore, the clinical application of therapies based on MNs is still limited, highlighting the key opportunities for future research.Keywords: microneedles, melanoma, responsive transdermal drug delivery, tumor therapy