Transdermal Delivery of Superoxide Dismutase Using Polymeric Microneedle Patches to Inhibit Skin Aging

Abstract Skin aging is characterized by a deterioration of skin quality over time resulting from physiological changes and oxidative stress (OS). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is an effective antioxidant enzyme widely used as a food supplement and cosmetic additive to alleviate OS and retard skin aging. However, conventional SOD delivery routes commonly yield unsatisfactory results due to limited stability, compromised bioavailability, and low absorption efficiency in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. These issues are addressed by developing SOD‐encapsulated polymeric microneedle (PMN) patches for efficient transdermal delivery. The use of a highly stable SOD isolated from a hot spring microbe ensures its reactivity throughout PMN fabrication and application. This SOD vehicle demonstrated excellent effectiveness through inhibiting skin‐aging and promoting hair growth as validated by extensive in vivo experiments using D‐galactose (D‐gal) induced aging‐mouse model. SOD‐PMNs promoted excellent regeneration of hair follicles, increased melanin synthesis, decreased lipid oxidation, and elevated antioxidative capacity of skin tissue. The success in effective transdermal delivery of SOD promises wide applicability in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.