Trilayer Dissolving Microneedle for Transdermal Delivery of Minoxidil: A Proof-of-Concept Study

May 2024 in “ Journal of biomaterials science. Polymer ed. ”

Nur Afika, Afifah Fadhilah Saniy, Athaullah Akmal Fawwaz Dharma, Christopher Kosasi Ko, Ruhi Kamran, Andi Dian Permana

minoxidil alopecia areata trilayer dissolving microneedle transdermal delivery stratum corneum ex-vivo permeation test in vivo dermatokinetic tests HET-CAM test hemolysis test MNX AA TDMN

From the encyclopedia

Minoxidil →

An essential vasodilator with some anti-androgenic effects

Alopecia Areata →

autoimmune disorder causing patchy hair loss

Studysummary This study found that three-layer dissolving microneedles for delivering Minoxidil showed improved skin drug penetration and reduced irritation risk compared to traditional Minoxidil cream, suggesting a promising alternative for alopecia areata treatment. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

This study explored the use of three-layer dissolving microneedles (TDMN) for transdermal delivery of minoxidil (MNX) to treat alopecia areata (AA). The TDMN formulation aimed to enhance drug penetration and minimize irritation compared to traditional oral and topical methods. The TDMN2 formulation showed significantly higher drug permeation (165.28 ± 31.87 ug/cm²) compared to minoxidil cream (46.03 ± 8.5 ug/cm²). Ex vivo and in vivo tests confirmed higher drug retention in the skin with TDMN2, and safety tests indicated no irritation or toxicity. The study concludes that TDMN is a promising alternative for effective AA therapy.

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Research cited in this study

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