Development of antibiotic microneedle delivery systems for tuberculosis treatment

Three types of hydrogel formulation were manufactured using different type of polymers and crosslinking processes. These MN arrays were then evaluated in terms of swelling ability, morphology and physical properties. Results of solute diffusion studies showed that drug permeation across the swollen hydrogel membrane was affected mostly by physiochemical properties and functional groups of each drug.

In the in vitro studies, the amount of permeated drug through the hydrogel-forming MN arrays across the dermatomed neonatal porcine skin was affected by the drug solubility and reservoir design. The development of this transdermal TB drug regimen is still in the early stage, thus a further investigation to evaluate the effectivity, stability, safety, and efficacy prior to the clinical application will be required. For instance, in vivo pharmacokinetic studies must be done to determine the plasma concentration of the drug in the animal model.

Besides, to ensure the efficacy of this system, pharmacodynamic studies must be also performed. On this basis, to reach clinical practice and ensure the benefit for TB treatment application, this novel approach should be tested in terms of the usability and acceptability to achieve the maximum impact of this work.<br><br><i>Thesis is embargoed until 31 December 2030.</i>