Cyclosporin A-loaded dissolving microneedles for dermatitis therapy: Development, characterisation and efficacy in a delayed-type hypersensitivity in vivo model

Several drugs can be used for treating inflammatory skin pathologies like dermatitis and psoriasis. However, for the management of chronic and long-term cases, topical administration is preferred over oral delivery since it prevents certain issues due to systemic side effects from occurring. Cyclosporin A (CsA) has been used for this purpose; however, its high molecular weight (1202 Da) restricts the diffusion through the skin structure. Here, we developed a nano-in-micro device combining lipid vesicles (LVs) and dissolving microneedle array patches (DMAPs) for targeted skin delivery. CsA-LVs allowed the effective incorporation of CsA in the hydrophilic DMAP matrix despite the hydrophobicity of the drug. Polymeric matrix composed of poly (vinyl alcohol) (5