Application of multipolymers system in the development of hydrogel-forming microneedle integrated with polyethylene glycol reservoir for transdermal delivery of albendazole

[Display omitted] •The combination of PVP, PVA and citric acid was used to fabricate hydrogel forming microneedles.•The microneedles were combined with polyethylene glycol reservoir containing albendazole.•The combination approach successfully delivered albendazole transdermally. Parasitic infection is one of the health problems that cause many deaths in developing countries. One of the infectious parasites that is a problem for the world community is cystic echinococcosis (CE). The most popular medication for treating CE is albendazole (ABZ), however, it has limited intestinal absorption and poor water solubility, making it less effective. Therefore, developing an alternative ABZ delivery system is necessary to increase drug bioavailability and avoid first-pass metabolism. Here, we developed hydrogel-forming microneedles (HFM) combined with a polyethylene glycol (PEG) reservoir to deliver ABZ transdermally. HFM was made through a crosslinking process between polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as polymers and citric acid as a crosslinking agent. This HFM was developed to be integrated with a reservoir of polyethylene glycol (PEG) of varying molecular weights. HFM was successfully developed with desirable mechanical resistance and insertion properties. The evaluation of swelling capability resulted in >500 % swelling percentage. Moreover, the penetration result showed HFM could penetrate up to 68 % into the skin with only 3,83 % of height decrease. The skin integrity study also showed that the permeation of HFM into the skin caused no changes to skin integrity. Incorporated with a PEG reservoir, the ex vivo permeation test showed that 4584.43 ± 26.61 µg/cm2 of ABZ was permeated through the skin. ABZ has been successfully developed into an HFM integrated with a PEG reservoir that is safe, painless, and non-irritating and has promising results for increasing the effectiveness of cystic echinococcosis therapy through the transdermal route.