Bioinspired core-shell photonic crystal microneedle patch for real-time optical monitoring of drug release in jellyfish envenomation therapy.

The increasing incidence of jellyfish stings from expanding global marine activities necessitates painless therapeutic strategies with real-time treatment assessment capabilities. Here, we present a bioinspired core-shell photonic crystal microneedle (PCMN) patch that addresses this need through dual functionality of both therapeutic delivery and optically transduced monitoring. This device is fabricated by coating hyaluronic acid (HA) shells onto non-close-packed PCMN cores, which are functionalized with chlorpheniramine, while the HA shells incorporate lidocaine as a pain management payload. Upon skin insertion, the patch achieves distinct release profiles of lidocaine (from the shell) and chlorpheniramine (from the core), which are consistent with a structure-dependent release mechanism, addressing the distinct temporal requirements of jellyfish envenomation. Critically, this drug release process is accompanied by measurable shifts in the reflection spectrum, enabling real-time and quantifiable optical monitoring of the release process. The quantitative assessment of drug release can be achieved through the position of the reflection peak in an in vitro agarose-phantom model, allowing direct calibration of treatment progress with simple and portable devices. In a murine model of jellyfish sting envenomation, the PCMN@HA platform demonstrated partially attenuated systemic envenomation within 7 h. This work establishes a theranostic platform that integrates a biomimetic device design with optical signal readout, with potential applications extending to other dermatological conditions requiring temporally controlled pharmacotherapy.