Microneedles (MNs) are minimally invasive tridimensional biomedical devices that bypass the skin barrier resulting in systemic and localized pharmacological effects. Historically, biomaterials such as carbohydrates, due to their physicochemical properties, have been used widely to fabricate MNs. Owing to their broad spectrum of functional groups, carbohydrates permit designing and engineering with tunable properties and functionalities. This has led the carbohydrate-based microarrays possessing the great potential to take a futuristic step in detecting, drug delivery, and retorting to biologicals. In this review, the crucial and extensive summary of carbohydrates such as hyaluronic acid, chitin, chitosan, chondroitin sulfate, cellulose, and starch has been discussed systematically, using PRISMA guidelines. It also discusses different approaches for drug delivery and the mechanical properties of biomaterial-based MNs, till date, progress has been achieved in clinical translation of carbohydrate-based MNs, and regulatory requirements for their commercialization. In conclusion, it describes a brief perspective on the future prospects of carbohydrate-based MNs referred to as the new class of topical drug delivery systems.

微针 (MN) 是微创立体生物医学装置，可绕过皮肤屏障，产生全身和局部药理作用。从历史上看，碳水化合物等生物材料由于其物理化学性质，已被广泛用于制造 MN。由于其广泛的官能团，碳水化合物允许设计和工程具有可调节的特性和功能。这使得基于碳水化合物的微阵列具有巨大的潜力，可以在检测、药物输送和生物制品方面迈出未来的一步。在这篇综述中，我们使用 PRISMA 指南系统地讨论了碳水化合物（如透明质酸、甲壳素、壳聚糖、硫酸软骨素、纤维素和淀粉）的重要而广泛的总结。它还讨论了药物递送的不同方法和基于生物材料的 MN 的机械性能，迄今为止，基于碳水化合物的 MN 的临床转化取得了进展，以及对其商业化的监管要求。总之，它简要介绍了基于碳水化合物的 MN 的未来前景，称为新型局部给药系统。