Developing Formulations for Drug Follicular Targeting: Nanoemulsions Loaded with Minoxidil and Clove Oil

The study aimed to develop and characterize nanoemulsions loaded with minoxidil (MXD) and clove oil for targeted drug delivery to hair follicles to optimize the treatment of alopecia areata (AA). Nanoemulsions were prepared using ultrasonication and evaluated through 11 experimental runs. The optimized formulations (NE 5, NE 6, and NE 8) demonstrated monomodal size distributions, mean droplet sizes of 10 nm, and stability at room temperature and 50% relative humidity. These nanoemulsions controlled drug release twice as effectively as conventional solutions for at least 6 hours and enhanced MXD skin penetration by over 9 times. Follicular penetration experiments revealed that the nanoemulsions delivered MXD into hair follicles more than 26 times more efficiently than control samples, indicating their potential as a promising topical treatment for alopecia.