Microneedle Mediated Vaccine Delivery: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Microneedles can be representative for paradigm shift of drug delivery from patient non-compliant parenteral injections to patient compliant drug delivery system, which can be utilized for administration of vaccines particularly along with macromolecular/micromolecular drugs. The concept of microneedles came into existence many decades ago but the use of microneedles to achieve efficient delivery of drugs into the skin became subject of research from mid of 1990’s. Various types of microneedles were utilized to enhance delivery of drugs and vaccines including solid microneedles for pre-treatment of skin to enhance drug permeability, dissolvable polymeric microneedles encapsulating drugs, microneedles coated with drugs and hollow microneedles for infusion of drugs through the skin. Microneedles have shown promising delivery of vaccines through skin in literature. But the successful utilization of this system for vaccine drug delivery mainly depends on design of device to facilitate microneedle infusion, vaccine stability and storage in system, recovery of skin on removal of microneedle and improved patient compliance. This article reviews the conventional and advanced methods of vaccine drug deliver, microneedles for drug delivery, types of microneedles, advantages of microneedles and potential of microneedles for vaccine drug delivery.