Lipid Nanoparticles in Microneedle Patch Delivery System: A Recent Insight and Prospects

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have gained considerable attention as advanced drug delivery carriers due to their biocompatibility, ability to encapsulate diverse therapeutic agents, and potential for controlled and targeted release. Recent developments have focused on integrating LNPs with microneedle (MN) patch delivery systems, creating a minimally invasive and highly efficient transdermal platform. Microneedles overcome the barrier function of the stratum corneum by creating microchannels that enable direct delivery of LNP-encapsulated drugs into the viable epidermis or dermis, thereby enhancing bioavailability and bypassing first-pass metabolism. This combined approach effectively addresses major limitations of conventional delivery routes, including poor drug solubility, instability of biologics, and low patient compliance. Recent studies demonstrate successful incorporation of LNPs into dissolving, hydrogel-forming, and coated microneedle systems for the delivery of vaccines, peptides, nucleic acids, anticancer agents, and other biologics. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in LNP-loaded microneedle patches, with emphasis on formulation strategies, fabrication techniques, stability considerations, in vitro and in vivo performance, and therapeutic applications. Despite promising outcomes, challenges such as maintaining microneedle mechanical strength, ensuring nanoparticle stability during fabrication, large-scale manufacturing, and regulatory standardization remain significant. Ongoing advancements in materials science, nanotechnology, and microneedle fabrication are progressively addressing these limitations. Overall, LNP-integrated microneedle patches represent a promising transdermal drug delivery system with significant potential for personalized medicine, self-administration, and next-generation vaccine and biologic delivery.