Autonomous drug delivery and scar microenvironment remodeling using micromotor-driven microneedles for hypertrophic scars therapy.
10.1016/j.apsb.2025.05.017
- Author:
Ting WEN
1
;
Yanping FU
2
;
Xiangting YI
2
;
Ying SUN
1
;
Wanchen ZHAO
2
;
Chaonan SHI
2
;
Ziyao CHANG
1
;
Beibei YANG
1
;
Shuling LI
2
;
Chao LU
2
;
Tingting PENG
2
;
Chuanbin WU
2
;
Xin PAN
1
;
Guilan QUAN
2
Author Information
1. School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
2. State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Natural Bioactive Molecules and Discovery of Innovative Drugs, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Autonomous drug delivery;
Autophagy regulation;
Curcumin;
Drug diffusion;
Fibroblast apoptosis;
Hypertrophic scar;
Microneedles;
Triamcinolone acetonide
- From:
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B
2025;15(7):3738-3755
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Hypertrophic scar is a fibrous hyperplastic disorder that arises from skin injuries. The current therapeutic modalities are constrained by the dense and rigid scar tissue which impedes effective drug delivery. Additionally, insufficient autophagic activity in fibroblasts hinders their apoptosis, leading to excessive matrix deposition. Here, we developed an active microneedle (MN) system to overcome these challenges by integrating micromotor-driven drug delivery with autophagy regulation to remodel the scar microenvironment. Specifically, sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were introduced into the MNs as a built-in engine to generate CO2 bubbles, thereby enabling enhanced lateral and vertical drug diffusion into dense scar tissue. The system concurrently encapsulated curcumin (Cur), an autophagy activator, and triamcinolone acetonide (TA), synergistically inducing fibroblast apoptosis by upregulating autophagic activity. In vitro studies demonstrated that active MNs achieved efficient drug penetration within isolated scar tissue. The rabbit hypertrophic scar model revealed that TA-Cur MNs significantly reduced the scar elevation index, suppressed collagen I and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) expression, and elevated LC3 protein levels. These findings highlight the potential of the active MN system as an efficacious platform for autonomous augmented drug delivery and autophagy-targeted therapy in fibrotic disorder treatments.
