Wound-associated pain is often underestimated and undertreated, especially in chronic wounds, which is becoming a potential threat to public health. However, limited strategies for both wound healing and analgesia remain an ongoing challenge in clinical applications. Herein, a spatial-efficacy microneedle patch with amplified immunomodulation targeting healing and analgesia during wound care is proposed. The ibuprofen (Ib) loaded microneedle patch (Ib-MNs) is synthesized by crosslinking two immunologically active natural polysaccharides. The tip structure endows the Ib-MNs with rapid deep-wound access, and a drug delivery depth that surpassed hydrogels by up to 5-fold. Moreover, the presence of dual immunologically active components significantly enhances the immune regulatory effects, promoting polarization toward M2-type macrophages. Furthermore, in vivo experiments validated that immune regulation ensured pro-healing conditions, achieving a healing rate of 94.6% by day 14. The Ib-MNs effectively increased the mechanical stimulation threshold for wound pain by 2.6-fold compared to the commercial 3 m Tegaderm dressing on the first day and demonstrated sustained analgesic effects during the healing process. This dressing, designed for compassionate care of patients with wound-related pain, suggests a promising and facile therapeutic strategy for personalized wound management in clinical practice.
Shao et al. (Tue,) studied this question.