基于微针的经皮递送系统通过在角质层中构建微尺度通道来增强皮肤通透性,从而实现治疗药物的可控与持续释放。然而,传统微针设计主要依赖被动扩散机制,导致药物穿透深度较浅、空间分布范围有限,这在复杂生物环境中显著限制了其治疗效果。近年来,研究人员将气体治疗与微针平台整合,以克服上述局限。释放的治疗性气体不仅可通过气体推进促进药物向更深层组织渗透,还具有内在的生物活性,从而实现协同治疗效果。
近日,太原理工大学黄棣教授和杜智副教授等在Science China Materials发表综述论文,系统总结了气体释放微针系统的作用机制、设计策略及其应用,并重点讨论了若干关键的科学与转化挑战,包括气体释放的精确调控、多气体协同系统的开发、向深部组织治疗的拓展,以及生物安全性的保障。
未来研究方向强调构建智能化、刺激响应型微针,融合多学科技术以提升递送深度,并建立标准化、可规模化的制造体系。总体而言,本工作旨在推动气体释放微针技术向精准、高效且可控的治疗应用发展,弥合实验室研究与临床转化之间的差距。Figure 1.Schematic diagram of core strategies for fabricating gas-releasing MNs. (A) Exogenous and endogenous stimulus enable spatiotemporally selective release of therapeutic gases from MNs. (B) Typical gas sources for gas-releasing MNs: photosynthetic algae produce O2via photosynthesis; specific microorganisms generate H2 through metabolism; and chemical donors release NO, CO2, or O2 upon reaction triggering.Figure 2.Physiological functions of various therapeutic gases.Figure 3.Summary of the typical chemical reactions by which various donors generate therapeutic gases, including O2, NO, CO, H2S, H2, and CO2, highlighting their corresponding release mechanisms and representative reaction equations.Figure 4.Drug delivery mechanisms for various types of MNs.
Chunqing Lv(吕春青) is a Master’s student under the supervision of Prof. Zhi Du at the College of Artificial Intelligence, Taiyuan University of Technology (TYUT). Her research focuses on the innovative design and fabrication of gas-releasing microneedles, exploring the application potential of microneedle-based drug delivery systems in the field of biomedical engineering.
Zhi Du(杜智) is an associate professor in the College of Artificial Intelligence, TYUT. He received his PhD degree in 2019 under the supervision of Prof. Xiaogang Qu at Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry (CIAC), Chinese Academy of Sciences. Then he joined the group of Professor Mi Hee Lim as a postdoctoral fellow at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). His scientific interests focus on the design and fabrication of multifunctional biomaterials for disease theranostics.
Di Huang(黄棣) obtained his PhD degree in 2012 in biomedical engineering from Sichuan University, China. Now he is a full professor at the Research Center for Nano-biomaterials & Regenerative Medicine, College of Artificial Intelligence, TYUT, China. During the period 2018–2019, he joined Dr. Yu Shrike Zhang’s Lab in Harvard Medical School for 1 year as a visiting scientist. His research is mainly focused on biomaterials, bio-printing, and organ on chip.Chunqing Lv, Ergui Luo, Wenjuan Wang, Zhi Du, Di Huang. Microneedles with therapeutic gas: integrating drug propulsion and intrinsic bioactivity. Sci. China Mater. (2026).https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-025-4027-0
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