1,2,4Faculty of Pharmacy, Integral University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh - 226026
1,3,5Institute of Pharmacy, Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University, Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh - 225003
2*Email: tmahmood@iul.ac.in
1Email: sharitasingh22@gmail.com
Microneedles (MN) have become a game changer in drug delivery in recent years and provide a highly efficient, painless, and minimally invasive solution to drug delivery. Micro-injuries in the skin caused by microneedles result in increased drug penetration without injuring the epidermis, and cause the release of growth factors, including platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), transforming growth factors (TGF-β and TGF-α), connective tissue growth factor and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) that stimulate wound healing and tissue regeneration. The various types of MNs such as solid, hollow, coated, dissolvable and biodegradable each of which can be applied in a particular therapeutic practice. The development of microfabrication, 3D printing, and biocompatible materials has made it possible to develop microneedles customised to the needs of the drug and patient. One of the recent areas of interest has been the integration of herbal bioactives that have been a combination of both modern drug delivery and traditional medicine. In this paper, microneedles made of dissolvable polymers were created by mixing ursolic acid and kaempferol, two natural plant compounds in equal proportion and having anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer effects. Drugs were mixed in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and embedded into a gel matrix and cast into microneedle molds and dried to create sharp and structurally stable microneedles. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was followed to determine morphology and formation of tips, whereas High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine quantitative estimation of two drugs. Other experimental analysis were done to evaluate disintegration and swelling features, water content etc. This paper has shown that herbal therapeutics can be used together with the microneedle technology to achieve improved and patient friendly drug delivery through transdermal methods.
Keywords: Microneedles, microfabrication, biocompatible, TGF-α, TGF-β, SEM.
How to cite this article: Singh S, Ansari TM, Pandey M, Ahsan F, Pandey VK. Fabrication and Evaluation of Gelatin-Based Microneedles Loaded with Kaempferol and Ursolic Acid Using PDMS Molding Technique. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(15s): 997-1008. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.15s.111
Source of support: Nil.
Conflict of interest: None