Microneedles: a novel strategy for wound management

Abstract

Wound management is a serious concern worldwide, inflicting a huge social and economic burden on patients and healthcare systems, and research into efficient wound-management measures is crucial. Although advances have been made in traditional wound dressings for wound management to date, the complicated environment near the wound leads to inadequate drug absorption for achieving the intended therapeutic impact. Microneedles, a novel transdermal drug delivery method, can improve wound-healing efficacy by breaking down the barriers at the wound site and enhancing drug delivery efficiency. In recent years, there have been many advanced types of research on the application of microneedles to wound management to address the difficulties encountered in the wound-healing process. This article summarizes and analyzes these research efforts, classifying them according to their distinct efficacy, and addresses them in five areas: hemostasis, antibacterial effects, proliferation, anti-scar, and wound monitoring. The article concludes with a review of the current state and limitations of microneedle patches and an outlook on the future direction of microneedles in wound management as a way to inspire more efficient and smarter wound-management strategies.