Impact of Formulation Design and Lyophilisation on the Physicochemical Characteristics of Finasteride Nanosystems

February 2023 in “ Journal of Microencapsulation ”

Malik Muhammad Irfan, Shefaat Ullah Shah, Kifayat Ullah Shah, Nicolas Anton, Idoux-Gillet Ysia, Guillaume Conzatti, Kifayat Ullah Shah, Perennes Elise, Thierry Vandamme

finasteride nanosystem lyophilisation ultrasonication cryoprotectants chitosan trehalose androgenic alopecia topical delivery Propecia

Studysummary This study developed a stable lyophilized finasteride nanosystem for topical delivery and found that it was stable for 90 days and that formulations with 15% trehalose showed favorable characteristics for potential use in treating androgenic alopecia. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

The study aimed to develop a stable lyophilised finasteride nanosystem (FNS-NS) for topical delivery, focusing on the effects of formulation design and lyophilisation. Using ultrasonication, the FNS-NS was created and tested with two cryoprotectants. The resulting lyophilised FNS-NS had a spherical shape, particle sizes between 188.6 nm and 298.7 nm, low PDI values, and a zeta potential from -38.3 to +53.3 mV. Confocal laser microscopy showed higher cellular internalisation for undecorated FNS-NS compared to chitosan-decorated ones. The system remained stable for 90 days under proper storage, and the FNS-NS with 15% trehalose showed promising attributes for treating androgenic alopecia through topical delivery.

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