Biodegradable microneedles for transdermal sitagliptin delivery: in vivo insights into enhanced diabetes management.

Rania M Yehia, Muhammed Ossama, Ghada H Elosaily, Ahmed M Fayez, Reham I Amer, Dalia A Attia

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Article in Drug delivery and translational research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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6 authors.

Rania M YehiaDepartment of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, The British University in Egypt (BUE), Suez Desert Road, El-Sherouk City, Cairo, 1183, Egypt. rania.yehia@bue.edu.eg.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3939-3644

Muhammed OssamaDepartment of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, The British University in Egypt (BUE), Suez Desert Road, El-Sherouk City, Cairo, 1183, Egypt.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2115-2789

Ghada H ElosailyDepartment of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.

Ahmed M FayezDepartment of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire hosted by Global Academic Foundation, New Administrative Capital, Cairo, Egypt.

Reham I AmerDepartment of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.

Dalia A AttiaDepartment of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, The British University in Egypt (BUE), Suez Desert Road, El-Sherouk City, Cairo, 1183, Egypt.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6352-582X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Microneedles (MNs) offer a promising alternative for transdermal delivery of hydrophilic drugs such as sitagliptin, evading the gastrointestinal side effects associated with oral administration. Thus, the study focuses on the transdermal delivery of sitagliptin, an antidiabetic drug that inhibits dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4). The research includes the formulation and in-vitro, ex-vivo, and in-vivo characterization of MNs for sitagliptin delivery. MN molds were fabricated using Stereolithography (3D Printing), and biocompatible MNs were made from hyaluronic acid (HA), chitosan, polyvinylpyrrolidone and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Sitagliptin MNs with PVA (SMP) and HA (SMH) exhibited favorable physical and mechanical properties, with drug content of 3.5 ± 0.14 mg/g and 3.8 ± 0.12 mg/g, respectively. SMH showed superior skin penetration due to sharper, stiffer tips. Ex-vivo studies using rat skin indicated that the SMH yielded a higher cumulative permeation (36.58%) compared to SMP (24.04%). Additionally, sitagliptin primarily accumulated in the epidermis, with approximately 56% for SMH and 50% for SMP. In-vivo results demonstrated that both SMP and SMH effectively lowered fasting blood glucose levels, with SMH notably improving postprandial glucose and insulin levels. Overall, HA-based biodegradable microneedles present a promising, minimally invasive strategy for sitagliptin delivery, enabling effective type 2 diabetes management while avoiding its gastrointestinal side effects.

Indexed as

Diabetes Mellitus, ExperimentalDipeptidyl-Peptidase IV InhibitorsHypoglycemic AgentsSitagliptin PhosphateAdministration, CutaneousAnimalsBlood GlucoseChitosanHyaluronic AcidMaleMicroneedle Drug DeliveryPolyvinyl AlcoholPovidoneRatsRats, Sprague-DawleySkinBlood GlucoseChitosanDipeptidyl-Peptidase IV InhibitorsHyaluronic AcidHypoglycemic AgentsPolyvinyl AlcoholPovidoneSitagliptin PhosphateDiabetesHFFD ratsHyaluronic acidMicroneedlesPolyvinyl alcoholSitagliptin

Identifiers

PMID41182669

DOI10.1007/s13346-025-01991-w

PMCPMC13183760

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.