Porcupine-inspired microneedles coupled with an adhesive back patching as dressing for accelerating diabetic wound healing

Diabetes chronic wound is a severe and frequently occurring medical issue in patients with diabetes that often leads to more serious complications. Microneedles (MNs) can be used for wound healing as they can effectively pierce the epidermis and inject drugs into the wound tissue. However, common MN patches cannot provide sufficient skin adhesion to prevent detachment from the wound area. Inspired by the barb hangnail microstructure of porcupine quills, a porcupine quill-like multilayer MN patch with an adhesive back patching for tissue adhesion and diabetic wound healing was designed. Sodium hyaluronate-modified CaO 2 nanoparticles and metformin (hypoglycemic agent) were loaded into the polycaprolactone tips of MNs, endowing them with exceptional antibacterial ability and hypoglycemic effect. A flexible and adhesive back patching was formed by polyacrylamide-polydopamine/Cu 2 + composite hydrogel, which ensures that the MN patches do not peel off from the application sites and reduce bacterial infection. The bioinspired multilayer structure of MN patches exhibits satisfactory mechanical and antibacterial properties, which is a potential multifunctional dressing platform for promoting wound healing.

Automated summary

Diabetes chronic wound is a serious medical problem in patients with diabetes, which often leads to complications. A porcupine quill-like multilayer microneedle patch was designed to address the issues of insufficient skin adhesion and bacterial infection. The patch contains antibacterial nanoparticles and a hypoglycemic agent, and is combined with a flexible and adhesive back patching for better tissue adhesion and wound healing. The bioinspired multilayer structure of the patch shows satisfactory mechanical and antibacterial properties, making it a potential dressing platform for promoting wound healing.