Enhanced Skin Permeation of 5α-Reductase Inhibitors Entrapped into Surface-Modified Liquid Crystalline Nanoparticles

August 2014 in “ Archives of Pharmacal Research ”

Thiagarajan Madheswaran, Rengarajan Baskaran, Pasupathi Sundaramoorthy, Bong Kyu Yoo

5α-reductase inhibitors surface-modified liquid crystalline nanoparticles chitosan finasteride dutasteride androgenetic alopecia zeta potential porcine skin controlled drug release non-toxicity Propecia Avodart sm-LCN LCN

From the encyclopedia

Finasteride →

Frontline, gold standard treatment for combatting androgenic alopecia

Dutasteride →

Heavy duty finasteride that comes with higher risks

Studysummary This study found that surface-modified liquid crystalline nanoparticles significantly enhanced skin permeation of finasteride and dutasteride compared to unmodified nanoparticles, suggesting potential for improved treatment efficacy in androgenetic alopecia. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

In the 2014 study, researchers found that surface-modified liquid crystalline nanoparticles (sm-LCN) with chitosan enhanced the skin permeation of finasteride and dutasteride, which are 5α-reductase inhibitors used to treat androgenetic alopecia. The sm-LCNs showed a larger size and positive zeta potential, which contributed to a 1.7- to 4.2-fold increase in drug permeation through porcine skin compared to unmodified LCNs. The study also observed a controlled and delayed drug release from sm-LCNs and confirmed the non-toxicity of the ingredients at concentrations up to 20 µg/ml. The findings suggest that sm-LCNs could improve the topical application of these drugs, maximizing therapeutic effects while minimizing systemic side effects. The research was supported by the Gachon University research fund of 2014.

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