OBJECTIVE To fabricate composite hydrogel microneedles as naringenin delivery platforms using gelatin methacryloyl(GelMA) and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate(PEGDA), and explore its antitumor effects.

METHODS The composite hydrogels were prepared by photocrosslinking technology and systematically characterized for their pore structure, in vitro degradation properties and drug loading capacity. The biocompatibility of the composite hydrogels was investigated by the CCK-F method, and the in vitro killing effect of naringenin on CT26 tumor cells was evaluated by the CCK-8 method and combined with drug release kinetics study to validate the efficacy of microneedle delivery. A mouse tumor model was further constructed to evaluate the antitumor efficacy of the drug-loaded hydrogel microneedles in vivo through in vivo imaging and tumor volume monitoring, and the biosafety was verified by body weight monitoring and organ coefficient analysis.

RESULTS Naringenin was successfully loaded into composite hydrogel microneedles. In vitro experiments showed that the microneedle had good biosafety and inhibited CT26 tumor cell activity. In vivo studies confirmed that the microneedle system inhibited tumor growth and reduced tumor volume without causing significant changes in the body weight of mice, with good antitumor effects and biological safety.

CONCLUSION The GelMA/PEGDA composite hydrogel microneedle drug delivery system constructed in this study effectively overcomes the traditional delivery defects of naringenin and demonstrated excellent antitumor activity in colon cancer treatment.