Preparation and characterization of cuttlefish ink-loaded detachable silk microneedles with robust reactive oxygen species-scavenging and photothermal performance

Abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly prevalent in skin-related impairments and accelerate chronic ulcer progression. The routine subcutaneous administration approaches combining drug delivery with microenvironment intervention are widely developed for skin-related treatment but lack effective outcomes. Herein, we present a cuttlefish ink-derived nanoparticles (CNPs)-integrated microneedles patch, silk fibroin and cuttlefish ink-derived melanin nanoparticles (SC-MNs), that can easily be inserted into the skin and alleviate ROS. The microneedle tips, formed from silk fibroin and treated with methanol vapor annealing, turn to increased β-sheet and enhanced mechanical strength. Meanwhile, the tips can rapidly detach from SC-MNs in mildly acidic conditions due to the introduction of NaHCO₃. SC-MNs also exhibited a unique ROS obliteration capacity. Furthermore, under near-infrared irradiation, SC-MNs triggered photothermal performance, which elicited reliable tumor cell-killing effects. Collectively, these SC-MN patches described here can provide a promising platform for combined ROS-scavenging and photothermal therapy, which makes them a potential candidate in skin-related disease management.