An Integrated Microcurrent Delivery System Facilitates Human Parathyroid Hormone Delivery for Enhancing Osteoanabolic Effect

Human parathyroid hormone (1-34) (PTH) exhibits osteoanabolic and osteocatabolic effects, with shorter plasma exposure times favoring bone formation. Subcutaneous injection (SCI) is the conventional delivery route for PTH but faces low delivery efficiency due to limited passive diffusion and the obstruction of the vascular endothelial barrier, leading to prolonged drug exposure times and reduced osteoanabolic effects. In this work, a microcurrent delivery system (MDS) based on multimicrochannel microneedle arrays (MMAs) is proposed, achieving high efficiency and safety for PTH transdermal delivery. The internal microchannels of the MMAs are fabricated using high-precision 3D printing technology, providing a concentrated and safe electric field that not only accelerates the movement of PTH but also reversibly increases vascular endothelial permeability by regulating the actin Cytoskeleton and interendothelial junctions through CA²⁺-dependent cAMP signaling, ultimately promoting PTH absorption and shortening exposure times. The MDS enhances the osteoanabolic effect of PTH in an osteoporosis model by inhibiting osteoclast differentiation on the bone surface compared to SCI. Moreover, histopathological analysis of the skin and organs demonstrated the good safety of PTH delivered by MDS in vivo. In addition to PTH, the MDS shows broad prospects for the high-efficiency transdermal delivery of macromolecular drugs.

PTH; microchannels; microcurrent; microneedle; osteoanabolic effect.