Viscoelastic Properties of Polymeric Microneedles Determined by Micromanipulation Measurements and Mathematical Modelling. 2023

Zhihua Zhang, and Guangsheng Du, and Xun Sun, and Zhibing Zhang
School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.

Microneedles, including dissolvable ones made from biocompatible and biodegradable materials, have been widely studied and can potentially be used for transdermal drug delivery, disease diagnosis (sampling), skin care, etc. Characterizing their mechanical properties is essential, as being mechanically strong enough to pierce the skin barrier is one of the most fundamental and crucial requirements for them. The micromanipulation technique was based on compressing single microparticles between two flat surfaces to obtain force and displacement data simultaneously. Two mathematical models had already been developed to calculate the rupture stress and apparent Young's modulus, which can identify variations of these parameters in single microneedles within a microneedle patch. In this study, a new model has been developed to determine the viscoelasticity of single microneedles made of hyaluronic acid (HA) with a molecular weight of 300 kDa loaded with lidocaine by using the micromanipulation technique to gather experimental data. The modelling results from the micromanipulation measurements suggest that the microneedles were viscoelastic and their mechanical behaviour was strain-rate dependent, which implies that the penetration efficiency of viscoelastic microneedles can be improved by increasing their piercing speed into the skin.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries

Related Publications

Zhihua Zhang, and Guangsheng Du, and Xun Sun, and Zhibing Zhang
March 2004, Biotechnology and bioengineering,
Zhihua Zhang, and Guangsheng Du, and Xun Sun, and Zhibing Zhang
December 2010, Journal of the Royal Society, Interface,
Zhihua Zhang, and Guangsheng Du, and Xun Sun, and Zhibing Zhang
May 2020, Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences,
Zhihua Zhang, and Guangsheng Du, and Xun Sun, and Zhibing Zhang
December 2005, Journal of chromatography. A,
Zhihua Zhang, and Guangsheng Du, and Xun Sun, and Zhibing Zhang
July 1983, Biopolymers,
Zhihua Zhang, and Guangsheng Du, and Xun Sun, and Zhibing Zhang
July 2020, Pharmaceutics,
Zhihua Zhang, and Guangsheng Du, and Xun Sun, and Zhibing Zhang
January 2012, International journal of nanomedicine,
Zhihua Zhang, and Guangsheng Du, and Xun Sun, and Zhibing Zhang
August 1982, Biochemistry,
Zhihua Zhang, and Guangsheng Du, and Xun Sun, and Zhibing Zhang
January 2006, Journal of mathematical biology,
Zhihua Zhang, and Guangsheng Du, and Xun Sun, and Zhibing Zhang
January 2003, Journal of orthopaedic science : official journal of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association,
Copied contents to your clipboard!