Low-Dose Rapamycin Microdepots Promote Hair Regrowth via Autophagy Modulation

    April 2025 in “ Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation ”
    Tiep Tien Nguyen, Trang N. Le, Ngọc Trần Nguyên, Simmyung Yook, Dongryeol Ryu, Gorka Orive, Youngdae Gwon, Jong-Hyuk Sung, Jee‐Heon Jeong
    TLDR Low-dose rapamycin microdepots can help regrow hair by activating certain cell processes.
    The study developed low-dose rapamycin microdepots (RAPMD) to promote hair regrowth by modulating autophagy and activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. These microdepots, characterized by a 6 μm size and 71% loading efficiency, provided a sustained release of rapamycin over 35 days. In vivo experiments on mice showed that RAPMDs significantly increased hair weight and the number of anagen hair follicles, with the optimal dose being 0.2 µg of RAP equivalent. The research suggests that RAPMDs offer a promising strategy for enhancing hair regrowth in patients with hair loss, highlighting the crucial role of autophagy in hair follicle activation.
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