Promising Strategies for Transdermal Delivery of Arthritis Drugs: Microneedle Systems

Arthritis is a general term for various types of inflammatory joint diseases. The most common clinical conditions are mainly represented by rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, which affect more than 4% of people worldwide and seriously limit their mobility. Arthritis medication generally requires long-term application, while conventional administrations by oral delivery or injections may cause gastrointestinal side effects and are inconvenient for patients during long-term application. Emerging microneedle (MN) technology in recent years has created new avenues of transdermal delivery for arthritis drugs due to its advantages of painless skin perforation and efficient local delivery. This review summarizes various types of arthritis and current therapeutic agents. The current development of MNs in the delivery of arthritis drugs is highlighted, demonstrating their capabilities in achieving different drug release profiles through different self-enhancement methods or the incorporation of nanocarriers. Furthermore, the challenges of translating MNs from laboratory studies to the clinical practice and the marketplace are discussed. This promising technology provides a new approach to the current drug delivery paradigm in treating arthritis in transdermal delivery.

Automated summary

Arthritis refers to a group of inflammatory joint diseases that severely limit patients' mobility. Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, affecting more than 4% of the global population, are the most common clinical conditions. Conventional medication for arthritis often causes gastrointestinal side effects and inconvenience. In recent years, microneedle technology has provided a new approach for transdermal delivery of arthritis drugs with its painless skin perforation and efficient local delivery advantages. This review summarizes different types of arthritis and current therapeutic agents, highlights the development of microneedles in arthritis drug delivery, and discusses the challenges of translating this technology into clinical practice and the marketplace.