Microneedles Mediated Bioinspired Lipid Nanocarriers for Targeted Treatment of Alopecia

January 2021 in “ Journal of Controlled Release ”

Sisi Cao, Yixuan Wang, Meng Wang, Xiaoyuan Yang, Yu-Jia Tang, Meilu Pang, Wenxiu Wang, Lifang Chen, Paul W. Cleary, Yuehong Xu

microneedles bioinspired lipid nanocarriers alopecia androgenetic alopecia finasteride nanostructured lipid carriers hair follicles dermis testosterone dihydrotestosterone hair follicle cells minoxidil anagen restoration MN FIN-NLC AGA Propecia Rogaine

TLDR A new hair loss treatment uses tiny needles to deliver a drug-loaded lipid carrier, promoting hair growth more effectively than current treatments.

The study "Microneedles mediated bioinspired lipid nanocarriers for targeted treatment of alopecia" presents a new treatment for androgenetic alopecia (AGA) using finasteride-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (FIN-NLC) delivered via microneedles (MN). The FIN-NLC mimics components in hair follicles, enhancing drug delivery, while the MNs allow the drug to reach the dermis region. This combination resulted in improved finasteride permeation and retention, primarily through the hair follicle pathway, and promoted hair growth in AGA-induced mice. The study also found that the treatment decreased the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone in hair follicle cells, inhibited genes negatively affecting hair growth, and activated those promoting it. The MN patch contained 144 needles, each loaded with 47.36±0.92 µg of FIN, and released the drug over 24 hours. The treatment was more effective than commercial minoxidil in terms of hair regrowth and anagen restoration in AGA-induced mice. The study concludes that this approach represents a promising alternative for AGA treatment.

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research Microneedles Mediated Bioinspired Lipid Nanocarriers for Targeted Treatment of Alopecia

28 citations , January 2021 in “Journal of Controlled Release”

A new hair loss treatment uses tiny needles to deliver a drug-loaded lipid carrier, promoting hair growth more effectively than current treatments.