Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Membrane-sealed hollow microneedles and related administration schemes for transdermal drug delivery

  • Published:
Biomedical Microdevices Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper presents fabrication and testing of membrane-sealed hollow microneedles. This novel concept offers the possibility of a sealed microneedle-based transdermal drug delivery system in which the drug is stored and protected from the environment. Sealed microneedles were fabricated by covering the tip openings of out-of-plane silicon microneedles with thin gold membranes. In this way a leak-tight seal was established which hinders both contamination and evaporation. To allow drug release from the microneedles, three different methods of opening the seals were investigated: burst opening by means of pressure; opening by applying a small voltage in the presence of physiological saline; and opening as a result of microneedle insertion into the skin. It was found that a 170 nm thick gold membrane can withstand a pressure of approximately 120 kPa. At higher pressures the membranes burst and the microneedles are opened up. The membranes can also be electrochemically dissolved within 2 min in saline conditions similar to interstitial fluid present in the skin. Moreover, through in vivo tests, it was demonstrated that 170 nm thick membranes break when the microneedles were inserted into skin tissue. The proposed concept was demonstrated as a feasible option for sealing hollow microneedles. This enables the realization of a closed-package transdermal drug delivery system based on microneedles.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • S.P. Davis, B.J. Landis, Z.H. Adams, M.G. Allen, M.R. Prausnitz, J. Biomech. 37, 1155–1163 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • E.R. Edelman, P. Seifert, A. Groothuis, A. Morss, D. Bornstein, C. Rogers, Circulation 103(3), 429–434 (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  • N. Fogh-Andersen, B.M. Altura, B.T. Altura, O. Siggaard-Andersen, Clin. Chem. 41(10), 1522–1525 (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  • H.J.G.E. Gardeniers, R. Luttge, E.J.W. Berenschot, M.J. de Boer, S.Y. Yeshurun, M. Hefetz, R. van’t Oever, A. van den Berg, IEEE ASME J. Microelectromech. Syst. 12(6), 855–862 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • P. Griss and G. Stemme, IEEE ASME J. Microelectromech. Syst. 12(3), 296–301 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • K.M. Halparin, Br. J. Dermatol. 86(1), 14–19 (1972)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • S. Henry, D. McAllister, M.G. Allen, M.R. Prausnitz, J. Pharm. Sci. 87, 922–925 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • S. Kaushik, A.H. Hord, D.D. Denson, D.V. McAllister, S. Smitra, M.G. Allen, M.R. Prausnitz, Anesth. Analg. 92, 502–504 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M.M. Levine, Nat. Med. 9(1), 99–103 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • W. Lin, M.L. Cormier, A. Samiee, A. Griffin, B. Johnson, C. Teng, G.E. Hardee, P.E Daddona, Pharm. Res. 18(12), 1789–1793 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • W. Martanto, S.P. Davis, H.R. Holiday, J. Wang, H.S. Gill, M.R. Prausnitz, Pharm. Res. 21(6), 947–952 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J.A. Matriano, M. Cormier, J. Johnson, W.A. Young, M. Buttery, K. Nyam, P.E. Daddona, Pharm. Res. 19(1), 63–70 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D.V. McAllister, P.M. Wang, S.P. Davis, J. Park, P.J. Canatella, M.G. Allen, M.. Prausnitz, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 100(24), 13755–13760 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J.A. Mikszta, J.B. Alarcon, J.M. Brittingham, D.E. Sutter, R.J. Pettis, N.G. Harvey, Nat. Med. 8(4), 415–419 (Apr 2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • L. Nordquist, N. Roxhed, P. Griss, G. Stemme, Pharm. Res. 24(7), 1381–1388 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • G.C. Paffenbarger, J. Am. Dent. Assoc. 84, 1333–1335 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • J.-H. Park, M.G. Allen, M.R. Prausnitz, J. Control. Rel. 104(1), 51–66 (May 2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M.R. Prausnitz, Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. 56, 581–587 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • N. Roxhed, S. Rydholm, B. Samel, W. van der Wijngaart, P. Griss, G. Stemme, J. Micromechanics Microengineering 16(12), 2740–2746 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • N. Roxhed, T.C. Gasser, P. Griss, G.A. Holzapfel, G. Stemme, IEEE ASME J. Microelectromech. Syst. (2007a) (in press)

  • N. Roxhed, B. Samel, L. Nordquist, P. Griss, G. Stemme, IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. (2007b) (in press)

  • J.T. Santini, A.C. Richards, R. Scheidt, M.J. Cima, R. Langer, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 39, 2396–2407 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • C.F. Shaw, Metals and their compounds in the environment. (VCH, Weinheim, Germany, 1991), pp. 931–938

    Google Scholar 

  • R.K. Sivamani, B. Stoeber, G.C. Wu, H. Zhai, D. Liepmann, H. Maibach, Skin Res. Technol. 11(11), 152–156 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • B. Stoeber, D. Liepmann, IEEE ASME J. Microelectromech. Syst. 14(3), 472–479 (2005), ISSN 1057-7157

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M.A.L. Teo, C. Shearwood, K.C. Ng, J. Lu, S. Moochhala, Biomedical Microdevices 7(1), 47–52 (2005), ISSN 1387-2176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • B. Venugopal, T.D. Luckey, Metal toxicity in mammals, vol. 2. (Plenum Press, New York, 1978), p. 36

    Google Scholar 

  • G. Voskerician, R.S. Shawgo, P.A. Hiltner, J.M. Anderson, M.J. Cima, R. Langer, IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. 51(4), 627–635 (2004), ISSN 0018-9294

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • U.I. Walther, S.C. Walther, B. Liebl, F.X. Reichl, K. Kehe, M. Nilius, R. Hickel, J. Biomed. Mater. Res. 63(5), 643–649 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Niclas Roxhed.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Roxhed, N., Griss, P. & Stemme, G. Membrane-sealed hollow microneedles and related administration schemes for transdermal drug delivery. Biomed Microdevices 10, 271–279 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10544-007-9133-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10544-007-9133-8

Keywords

Navigation