Curcumin/β-cyclodextrin complex-loaded porous microneedles with enhanced mechanical properties for infected wound healing

within a microneedle mold. The resulting PMN exhibited a single-needle bearing force exceeding the minimum threshold for skin penetration (>0.1 N) while maintaining a relatively high porosity (28.7%). Furthermore, a curcumin-loaded PMN (PMN@Cur) was easily prepared by adsorbing a curcumin/β-cyclodextrin complex solution into the abundant pores of PMN. The PMN@Cur showed sustained drug release, along with superior antioxidant and antibacterial activities. In infected wounds models, the PMN@Cur attained a wound contraction rate of up to 87.2% by day 14, demonstrating its high therapeutic efficacy in wound healing. These findings suggest that PMN@Cur, which combines high porosity with favorable mechanical properties, holds significant promise as a drug delivery system for advanced wound care.