Wound healing management using microneedle array patch: Journey so far and road ahead

Microneedles have emerged as a cutting-edge platform in wound management, offering minimally invasive approaches for localized therapy and tissue regeneration. The solid, hollow, dissolving, and coated microneedle systems are all thoroughly covered in this review. It is also discuss and examine how structural parameters such as length, geometry, material choice that influence therapeutic efficiency and patient comfort. Microneedles applications in diabetic ulcers, surgical wounds, burn injuries, infected wounds, and scarless wound healing highlight their ability to accelerate tissue repair, minimize complications, and improve patient outcomes. The novelty of this review lies in integrating advances in material design with emerging smart functionalities, including biosensing-enabled microneedles and combinatorial strategies with growth factors, antimicrobials, and nanomaterials. These approaches demonstrate the potential to transform wound care from passive protection to actively guided therapy. Despite notable progress, several knowledge gaps remain. Current systems face limitations in drug-loading capacity, variability in mechanical strength, and challenges in balancing biodegradability with sustained functionality. Moreover, regulatory and translational barriers continue to slow clinical adoption. Addressing these gaps requires not only optimization of fabrication technologies such as additive manufacturing but also rigorous evaluation of biocompatibility, safety, and long-term performance. Looking ahead, future directions emphasize the development of multifunctional microneedles capable of real-time wound monitoring, environment-responsive drug release, and integration with digital health platforms. Such innovations represent promising next-generation strategies to achieve precision, adaptability, and scalability in modern wound therapy.