Drug delivery through the skin by transdermal patches has a long history. Subsequent growth of transdermal science proved prominent utility of transdermal systems meant for passive diffusion of the drug. It was followed by the development of iontophoresis- and sonophoresis-based transdermal delivery systems. Microneedle array has now caught attention of the investigators owing to its immense utility in transdermal delivery of very large molecules with ionic and hydrophilic nature. In this technical note, we present the current scenario, applications, and recent advances in microneedle array-based delivery of the most critical molecules through the skin. The application of microneedle has widely been investigated, and these technologies are being developed for the delivery of bio-therapeutics, bio-macromolecules, insulin, growth hormones, immunobiologicals, proteins, siRNA, and peptides. Potential of microneedles to transform the global transdermal market is highlighted in terms of the success rate of the microneedle technologies in clinical trials reaching to the global market. The arrival of the commercial microneedle-based products in the market is highly anticipated as they have potential to portray remarkable impact on clinical medicine in near future.

经皮贴剂通过皮肤给药的历史悠久。透皮科学的后续发展证明了用于药物被动扩散的透皮系统的突出用途。随后开发了基于离子电渗疗法和超声电渗疗法的透皮给药系统。微针阵列现在已经引起了研究人员的注意，因为它在透皮递送具有离子和亲水性质的非常大的分子方面具有巨大的实用性。在本技术说明中，我们介绍了基于微针阵列的最关键分子通过皮肤递送的当前场景、应用和最新进展。微针的应用已被广泛研究，这些技术正在开发用于输送生物治疗药物、生物大分子、胰岛素、生长激素、免疫生物学、蛋白质、siRNA和肽。微针技术在临床试验中进入全球市场的成功率凸显了微针改变全球透皮市场的潜力。商用微针产品在市场上的到来备受期待，因为它们有可能在不久的将来对临床医学产生显着影响。