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Micromachines
Volume 16
Issue 9
10.3390/mi16091015
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Design of Hydrogel Microneedle Arrays for Physiology Monitoring of Farm Animals

by
Laurabelle Gautier
1,
Sandra Wiart-Letort
2,
Alexandra Massé
3,
Caroline Xavier
2,
Lorraine Novais-Gameiro
4,
Antoine Hoang
1,
Marie Escudé
1,
Ilaria Sorrentino
1,
Muriel Bonnet
3,
Florence Gondret
2,
Claire Verplanck
1 and
Isabelle Texier
1,*
1
CEA, LETI-DTBS, Université Grenoble Alpes, F-38054 Grenoble, France
2
PEGASE, INRAE, Institut Agro, F-35590 Saint-Gilles, France
3
INRAE, Université Clermont Auvergne, Vetagro Sup, UMRH, F-63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France
4
Plateforme CICS (Centre Imagerie Cellulaire Santé), Université Clermont Auvergne, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Micromachines 2025, 16(9), 1015; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16091015
Submission received: 24 July 2025 / Revised: 27 August 2025 / Accepted: 28 August 2025 / Published: 31 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biosensors for Biomedical, Agricultural and Environmental Applications)
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

For monitoring animal adaptation when facing environmental challenges, and more specifically when addressing the impacts of global warming—particularly responses to heat stress and short-term fluctuations in osmotic regulations in the different organs influencing animal physiology—there is an increasing demand for digital tools to understand and monitor a range of biomarkers. Microneedle arrays (MNAs) have recently emerged as promising devices minimally invasively penetrating human skin to access dermal interstitial fluid (ISF) to monitor deviations in physiology and consequences on health. The ISF is a blood filtrate where the concentrations of ions, low molecular weight metabolites (<70 kDa), hormones, and drugs, often closely correlate with those in blood. However, anatomical skin differences between human and farm animals, especially large animals, as well as divergent tolerances of such devices among species with behavior specificities, motivate new MNA designs. We addressed technological challenges to design higher microneedles for farm animal (pigs and cattle) measurements. We designed microneedle arrays composed of 37 microneedles, each 2.8 mm in height, using dextran-methacrylate, a photo-crosslinked biocompatible biopolymer-based hydrogel. The arrays were characterized geometrically and mechanically. Their abilities to perforate pig and cow skin were demonstrated through histological analysis. The MNAs successfully absorbed approximately 10 µL of fluid within 3 h of application.
Keywords: microneedles; animal health and welfare; hydrogel; interstitial fluid analysis; livestock; skin perforation microneedles; animal health and welfare; hydrogel; interstitial fluid analysis; livestock; skin perforation

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Gautier, L.; Wiart-Letort, S.; Massé, A.; Xavier, C.; Novais-Gameiro, L.; Hoang, A.; Escudé, M.; Sorrentino, I.; Bonnet, M.; Gondret, F.; et al. Design of Hydrogel Microneedle Arrays for Physiology Monitoring of Farm Animals. Micromachines 2025, 16, 1015. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16091015

AMA Style

Gautier L, Wiart-Letort S, Massé A, Xavier C, Novais-Gameiro L, Hoang A, Escudé M, Sorrentino I, Bonnet M, Gondret F, et al. Design of Hydrogel Microneedle Arrays for Physiology Monitoring of Farm Animals. Micromachines. 2025; 16(9):1015. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16091015

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gautier, Laurabelle, Sandra Wiart-Letort, Alexandra Massé, Caroline Xavier, Lorraine Novais-Gameiro, Antoine Hoang, Marie Escudé, Ilaria Sorrentino, Muriel Bonnet, Florence Gondret, and et al. 2025. "Design of Hydrogel Microneedle Arrays for Physiology Monitoring of Farm Animals" Micromachines 16, no. 9: 1015. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16091015

APA Style

Gautier, L., Wiart-Letort, S., Massé, A., Xavier, C., Novais-Gameiro, L., Hoang, A., Escudé, M., Sorrentino, I., Bonnet, M., Gondret, F., Verplanck, C., & Texier, I. (2025). Design of Hydrogel Microneedle Arrays for Physiology Monitoring of Farm Animals. Micromachines, 16(9), 1015. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16091015

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