Manufacture and application of antibacterial biofilm microneedles

Abstract

Bacterial biofilms in chronic wounds establish drug-impermeable barriers through extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix formation. Versus surgical debridement and systemic approaches, microneedle systems have evolved as minimally invasive platforms exhibiting marked progress in biofilm management. Microneedles enhance contact area with bacterial biofilms by >13.74% versus traditional wound dressings, improving treatment outcomes. This review systematically examines recent therapeutic innovations in microneedle-mediated biofilm intervention between 2018 and 2025. Firstly, this paper systematically reviews the action mechanisms of solid, coated, hollow, soluble, and hydrogel microneedles against bacterial biofilms. It then discuss the advanced fabrication methods for antibiofilm systems. Antimicrobial mechanisms are innovatively classified into three modalities, physical disruption, chemical targeting, and bioactive regulation. The following sections present preclinical applications corresponding to each mechanistic category. These results provide a roadmap for clinical translation of microneedle antimicrobial technologies.