Abstract

DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF POLYMERIC MICRONEEDLES FOR TRANSDERMAL DELIVERY OF MEGLITINIDE DRUGS

Yogendra, Dr. Santosh Kumar Mishra*, Vinita Gautam

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by persistent hyperglycemia and associated with severe complications such as cardiovascular diseases, nephropathy, neuropathy, and retinopathy. Among available therapeutic agents, meglitinide drugs including repaglinide and nateglinide, are widely used for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus because of their rapid insulin secretagogue activity. However, conventional oral administration of these drugs is limited by extensive hepatic first-pass metabolism, low bioavailability, hort half-life, gastrointestinal side effects, and frequent dosing requirements. To overcome these limitations, polymeric microneedle-based transdermal drug delivery systems have emerged as a promising and minimally invasive alternative. Polymeric microneedles create transient microchannels in the stratum corneum, thereby enhancing drug permeation and improving systemic absorption without causing significantpain or tissue damage. This review discusses the development and characterization of polymeric microneedles for transdermal delivery of meglitinide drugs. Various types of microneedles, including solid, dissolving, and hydrogel-forming systems, along with commonly used natural and synthetic polymers, fabrication techniques, and evaluation parameters are comprehensively described. In addition, the review highlights physicochemical characterization, mechanical strength, insertion studies, drug loading efficiency, and controlled release behavior of microneedle systems. Furthermore, recent applications, therapeutic effectiveness, in vitro and in vivo evaluation studies, and future prospects of microneedle-mediated antidiabetic therapy are critically discussed. Overall, polymeric microneedles represent an innovative, patient-friendly, and efficient transdermal platform with significant potential to improve bioavailability, therapeutic efficacy, and patient compliance in diabetes management

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