Evaluation of Thermally Crosslinked Poly (Acrylic Acid-Co-Maleic Acid) (PAMA)/Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) (PVA) Microneedle Arrays

摘要

This study aimed to evaluate the optimal conditions for crosslinked PAMA/PVA microneedle (MN) arrays. Poly(acrylic acid-co-maleic acid) (PAMA)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) microneedle (MN) arrays were fabricated for the first time using the micromolding technique. PAMA/PVA MN arrays at the polymer ratio of 1:4 were sharp, homogenous and perfectly formed with an elegant appearance. The successful crosslinking MN arrays were determined using FTIR and water insolubilization. The results showed that increasing when crosslinking temperature and time were increased the degree of crosslinking also improved, which resulted in a decline in water uptake. The optimal crosslinking condition for PAMA/PVA MN arrays was 130°C for 1 h. Moreover, the highest swelling was observed from crosslinked PAMA/PVA MN arrays at 90°C for 0.5 h. These studies suggest that the combination of PAMA and PVA for fabrication of MN arrays could have much potential in the development of both hydrogel and dissolving MN devices for transdermal drug delivery.