Green synthesis of dextran-methacrylates and their use to fabricate hydrogel microneedles for transdermal sampling

This study reports the first non-toxic water-based synthesis method to effectively functionalize dextran with photo-sensitive methacrylate groups for photochemical cross-linking. The reaction presents unprecedented simplicity and efficiency. An unconventional solid-state photocross-linking method enabling the formation of strong cross-linked hydrogels was also developed with LAP (lithium phenyl-2,4,6-trimethylbenzoylphosphinate) as photoinitator. The green synthesis protocols developed to controllably obtain diverse dextran hydrogels open up new possibilities for biomedical applications including the fabrication of microneedles for drug delivery and electrochemical biosensing.