Enhanced Ex Vivo Skin Retention of Bicalutamide Using a Nano-in-Micro Composite: Drug-Loaded Lipid Vesicles in a Dissolving Microarray Patch

April 2025 in “ European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics ”

Miquel Martínez‐Navarrete, Mafalda Correia, José Alejandro Bernabeu-Martínez, Ana Cláudia Paiva‐Santos, Ana Borrego‐Sánchez, Antonio José Guillot

bicalutamide lipid vesicles dissolving microarray patches androgenetic alopecia stratum corneum permeability constant androgen-dependent skin conditions

TLDR The new drug delivery system improves bicalutamide skin retention for better treatment of hair loss.

This study presents a novel drug delivery system using bicalutamide-loaded lipid vesicles (BIC-LVs) within dissolving microarray patches (DMAPs) to enhance skin retention of bicalutamide, a treatment for androgenetic alopecia. The BIC-LVs@DMAPs demonstrated effective mechanical properties, allowing them to penetrate the stratum corneum and improve drug retention in ex vivo murine skin models. The system showed a 3-fold increase in permeability constant and retained 40% of the drug dose in the skin after 48 hours, indicating controlled release and enhanced delivery to deeper skin layers. The study highlights the potential of BIC-LVs@DMAPs for improving early-stage treatments of androgen-dependent skin conditions with fewer side effects, supporting future in vivo studies and clinical applications.

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Enhanced Ex Vivo Skin Retention of Bicalutamide Using a Nano-in-Micro Composite: Drug-Loaded Lipid Vesicles in a Dissolving Microarray Patch

Research cited in this study

research Bicalutamide 25 Mg Associated With Minoxidil 1 Mg Versus Minoxidil 1 Mg for Female-Pattern Hair Loss: A Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial

research The Psychological Consequences of Androgenetic Alopecia: A Systematic Review

research Androgenetic Alopecia Among Hospital Staff: A Study of Prevalence, Types, and a Comparison with the General Population in a Secondary Hospital in China

research Transdermal Permeation of Drugs in Various Animal Species

research Serendipity in Trichology

research Treatment of Female Pattern Hair Loss With Oral Antiandrogens

research Antiandrogen Treatment of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

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