Transdermal drug delivery via microneedles to mediate wound microenvironment

Cutaneous wound healing is a complex process, while modulating the wound microenvironment has become an essential therapeutic goal. In clinics, advanced dressings or dermal templates can promote wound healing but their ability in mediating wound microenvironment is limited. In the last decade, microneedle (MN) array patches have emerged as a new class of wound dressings. These dressings enable non-invasive transdermal and precise medication delivery. Combined with smart materials, MN additionally allows real-time monitoring of wound site markers such as inflammatory factors, oxygen levels, vascularization, pH and temperature, etc., while releasing therapeutic molecules responsively to the wound site. In this review, the MN-based strategies were reviewed for modulating wound microenvironment via introducing the main characteristics of the wound microenvironment and various types of MN-based delivery systems. Additionally, the progress and future trends in the application of MNs in mediating wound microenvironments are also discussed.