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Coating Formulations for Microneedles

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Abstract

Purpose

To develop a rational basis for designing coating solution formulations for uniform and thick coatings on microneedles and to identify coating strategies to form composite coatings, deliver liquid formulations, and control the mass deposited on microneedles.

Materials and Methods

Microneedles were fabricated using laser-cutting and then dip-coated using different aqueous, organic solvent-based or molten liquid formulations. The mass of riboflavin (vitamin B2) coated onto microneedles was determined as a function of coating and microneedle parameters. Coated microneedles were also inserted into porcine cadaver skin to assess delivery efficacy.

Results

Sharp-tipped microneedles, including pocketed microneedles, were fabricated. Excipients that reduced coating solution surface tension improved coating uniformity, while excipients that increased solution viscosity improved coating thickness. Evaluation of more than 20 different coating formulations using FDA approved excipients showed that hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules could be uniformly coated onto microneedles. Model proteins were also uniformly coated on microneedles using the formulations identified in the study. Pocketed microneedles were selectively filled with solid or liquid formulations to deliver difficult-to-coat substances, and composite drug layers were formed for different release profiles. The mass of riboflavin coated onto microneedles increased with its concentration in the coating solution and the number of coating dips and microneedles in the array. Coatings rapidly dissolved in the skin without wiping off on the skin surface.

Conclusions

Microneedles and coating formulations can be designed to have a range of different properties to address different drug delivery scenarios.

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Acknowledgment

We would like to thank Dr. Mark Allen for use of the IR and CO2 lasers in his lab; Richard Shafer, Dr. Shawn Davis, and Ed Birdsell for helpful discussions regarding laser operation; and Dr. Jung-Hwan Park for making silicon dioxide coatings on microneedles. MRP is the Emerson-Lewis Faculty Fellow. This work was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health and took place in the Center for Drug Design, Development and Delivery and the Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, 313 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332-0535, USA

    Harvinder S. Gill & Mark R. Prausnitz

  2. School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332-0100, USA

    Mark R. Prausnitz

Authors
  1. Harvinder S. Gill
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  2. Mark R. Prausnitz
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Correspondence to Mark R. Prausnitz.

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Gill, H.S., Prausnitz, M.R. Coating Formulations for Microneedles. Pharm Res 24, 1369–1380 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-007-9286-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-007-9286-4

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