Cross-Kingdom Delivery and Gene Modulation of Androgen Pathways by Plant-Derived Exosome-Like Nanoparticles from Polygoni Multiflori Radix Promotes Hair Growth via miRNA Cargo

    November 2025 in “ Pharmacological Research ”
    Shaojin Li, Youbo Zhang, Liu Xiyang, Huang Su, Haiyan Cao, Hong Xuan, Yingxian Cui, Zengyi Lu, Qin-Hao Zhang, Yi-Ke Li, Xiao-Yan Liu, Xiaoai Bao, Hailong Xu, Yanlin Wang, Xinjie Zhuo, Xinyue Zhang, Qingying Zhang, Liqin Zhang
    TLDR Plant-derived nanoparticles from Polygoni Multiflori Radix promote hair growth better than Minoxidil by affecting androgen pathways.
    The study investigates plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (PENs) from Polygoni Multiflori Radix (PMENs) and their role in promoting hair growth by modulating androgen pathways. PMENs are internalized by dermal papilla cells, delivering miRNAs that target the human androgen receptor (AR), leading to reduced AR expression and suppression of DKK1, an inhibitor of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. This process enhances hair follicle regeneration by increasing GSK3β phosphorylation and stabilizing β-catenin. In a mouse model with testosterone-induced hair regrowth delay, PMENs were more effective than Minoxidil in restoring hair growth. The study identifies specific miRNAs, aof-miR168a and osa-miR164a, as key effectors in this process, highlighting PMENs as a promising miRNA-mediated therapy for androgen-driven conditions like androgenetic alopecia (AGA).
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