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Review Article | Open Access

Microneedle technology in analgesic therapy

Jie Jiao1,2, Ze Qiang Zhao1,2, Yu Ting He1,2, Bin Bin Yu1,2, Kejun Chen3,4, Youchen Xia5( ), Ruixing Yu3( ), Bo Zhi Chen1,2 ( ), Xin Dong Guo1,2 ( )
State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
Department of Dermatology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China
Department of Plastic Surgery, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
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Graphical Abstract

Various types of microneedles are employed for both rapid and long-lasting analgesia.

Abstract

Pain management has become a prominent global health concern, affecting not only over the aspects of daily existence but also upon the holistic physical well-being. Conventional pain management methods have non-negligible limitations, such as the discomfort caused by needle injections and the low permeability of transdermal drug patches due to the skin barriers. Microneedle-based drug delivery is an emerging technique that utilizes microscopic needles to directly administer medication into the epidermis or dermis, offering the advantages of enhanced efficiency, rapid action, and minimally invasive delivery. Regarding to the analgesic therapy, microneedles are at the forefront, accelerating pain relief by localized delivery of analgesic substances directly to the site of discomfort. The targeted administration effectively reduces the broader dispersion of pharmacological agents within the circulatory system, thereby minimizing the occurrence of systemic adverse effects. This review focuses on the utilization of microneedle technology for both immediate and extended pain relief, its performance in clinical practice, and the prospects and challenges of microneedles in pain management therapy.

Keywords

microneedlepain managementclinical analgesic trialslidocaine

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Nano Research
Volume 18 Issue 2,
February 2025
Article number: 94907083
DOI: 10.26599/NR.2025.94907083
Cite this article:
Jiao J, Zhao ZQ, He YT, et al. Microneedle technology in analgesic therapy. Nano Research, 2025, 18(2): 94907083. https://doi.org/10.26599/NR.2025.94907083

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Received: 30 July 2024
Revised: 11 September 2024
Accepted: 17 October 2024
Published: 02 January 2025
© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Tsinghua University Press.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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