Triggering of Drug Release of Particles in Hair Follicles

April 2012 in “ Journal of controlled release ”

Wing Cheung Mak, Alexa Patzelt, Heike Richter, Reinhardt Renneberg, Kwok Kei Lai, E. Rühl, Wolfram Sterry, Jürgen Lademann

hair follicles drug delivery mixed particle formulation drug carrier protease porcine skin sebaceous gland targeted treatment skin diseases

Studysummary This study found that using a protease-triggered release system enabled effective delivery of a model drug deep within porcine hair follicles, suggesting a new approach for treating skin conditions. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

The study explored a novel method for drug delivery via hair follicles using a mixed particle formulation. Two types of particles of the same size were used: one as a drug carrier and the other loaded with a protease to trigger drug release. When applied to porcine skin samples, the protease successfully released the model drug from the carrier particles at significant depths within the hair follicle (866 ± 62 nm) and facilitated drug uptake in the sebaceous gland. This approach showed promise for developing targeted treatment strategies for various skin diseases.

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Research cited in this study

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Hair Follicles Contribute Significantly to Penetration Through Human Skin Only Shortly After Application as a Solvent Deposited Solid in Humans

research Hair Follicles Contribute Significantly to Penetration Through Human Skin Only Shortly After Application as a Solvent Deposited Solid in Humans

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This study found that hair follicles contribute significantly to caffeine absorption shortly after topical application, with a faster absorption rate compared to the stratum corneum.

research Penetration and Storage of Particles in Human Skin: Perspectives and Safety Aspects

122 citations , April 2011 in “European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics”

This review discusses the mechanisms and storage of particles in hair follicles and presents no new experimental results, highlighting the need for further research in their safe application in dermatology and cosmetics.

research Selective Follicular Targeting by Modification of the Particle Sizes

263 citations , February 2011 in “Journal of Controlled Release”

This study found that medium-sized particles (643 and 646 nm) penetrated deeper into porcine hair follicles in vitro than smaller or larger particles, suggesting size-selective targeting within follicular sites.

research Follicular and Percutaneous Penetration Pathways of Topically Applied Minoxidil Foam

74 citations , June 2010 in “European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics”

This study found that hair follicles are a significant and efficient pathway for the absorption of topical minoxidil foam in humans, with faster blood detection when follicles are open.

research Prevention of Follicular Penetration: Barrier-Enhancing Formulations Against the Penetration of Pollen Allergens into Hair Follicles

21 citations , January 2010 in “Skin pharmacology and physiology”

In this study, researchers found that barrier-enhancing formulations significantly reduced the penetration of proteins into hair follicles in porcine skin models, with effectiveness varying by formulation.

research Determination of the Cuticle Thickness of Human and Porcine Hairs and Their Potential Influence on the Penetration of Nanoparticles into the Hair Follicles

95 citations , January 2009 in “Journal of Biomedical Optics”

This study observed that particles sized 300-600 nm penetrate hair follicles more efficiently, likely due to alignment with the thickness of the human hair cuticula.

research Hair Follicles, Their Disorders, and Their Opportunities

48 citations , May 2008 in “Drug Discovery Today: Disease Mechanisms”

This review discusses recent advancements in understanding hair follicles, their disorders, and potential therapeutic opportunities, but it reports no new clinical findings.

research The Role of Hair Follicles in the Percutaneous Absorption of Caffeine

182 citations , December 2007 in “BJCP. British journal of clinical pharmacology/British journal of clinical pharmacology”

This study demonstrated that hair follicles significantly expedite the absorption of caffeine through the skin compared to interfollicular pathways.

research 40nm, But Not 750 or 1,500nm, Nanoparticles Enter Epidermal CD1a+ Cells After Transcutaneous Application on Human Skin

323 citations , April 2006 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology”

This study found that 40 nm nanoparticles can effectively penetrate into hair follicles and epidermal Langerhans cells in human skin samples, potentially enabling efficient transcutaneous vaccine delivery.

research Penetration Profile of Microspheres in Follicular Targeting of Terminal Hair Follicles

316 citations , June 2004 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology”

This study found that using a standardized protocol with microspheres of approximately 1.5 micrometers enhances penetration into hair follicles, particularly when skin is treated with cyanoacrylate skin surface stripping.