Treating the `root' cause of baldness with a dissolvable microneedle
patch

Date:
August 11, 2021
Source:
American Chemical Society
Summary:
Although some people say that baldness is the 'new sexy,' for
those losing their hair, it can be distressing. An array of
over-the-counter remedies are available, but most of them don't
focus on the primary causes: oxidative stress and insufficient
circulation. Now, researchers have designed a preliminary
microneedle patch containing cerium nanoparticles to combat both
problems, regrowing hair in a mouse model faster than a leading
treatment.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Although some people say that baldness is the "new sexy," for those
losing their hair, it can be distressing. An array of over-the-counter
remedies are available, but most of them don't focus on the primary
causes: oxidative stress and insufficient circulation. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Nano have designed a preliminary microneedle patch
containing cerium nanoparticles to combat both problems, regrowing hair
in a mouse model faster than a leading treatment.


==========================================================================
The most common hair loss condition is called androgenic alopecia, also
known as male- or female- pattern baldness. Hair loss is permanent for
people with the condition because there aren't enough blood vessels
surrounding the follicles to deliver nutrients, cytokines and other
essential molecules. In addition, an accumulation of reactive oxygen
species in the scalp can trigger the untimely death of the cells that form
and grow new hair. Previously, Fangyuan Li, Jianqing Gao and colleagues determined that cerium-containing nanoparticles can mimic enzymes that
remove excess reactive oxygen species, which reduced oxidative stress
in liver injuries, wounds and Alzheimer's disease. However, these
nanoparticles cannot cross the outermost layer of skin.

So, the researchers wanted to design a minimally invasive way to deliver cerium-containing nanoparticles near hair roots deep under the skin to
promote hair regrowth.

As a first step, the researchers coated cerium nanoparticles with
a biodegradable polyethylene glycol-lipid compound. Then they made
the dissolvable microneedle patch by pouring a mixture of hyaluronic
acid -- a substance that is naturally abundant in human skin -- and cerium-containing nanoparticles into a mold. The team tested control
patches and the cerium- containing ones on male mice with bald spots
formed by a hair removal cream.

Both applications stimulated the formation of new blood vessels around
the mice's hair follicles. However, those treated with the nanoparticle
patch showed faster signs of hair undergoing a transition in the root,
such as earlier skin pigmentation and higher levels of a compound found
only at the onset of new hair development. These mice also had fewer
oxidative stress compounds in their skin. Finally, the researchers
found that the cerium- containing microneedle patches resulted in
faster mouse hair regrowth with similar coverage, density and diameter
compared with a leading topical treatment and could be applied less
frequently. Microneedle patches that introduce cerium nanoparticles into
the skin are a promising strategy to reverse balding for androgenetic
alopecia patients, the researchers say.

The authors acknowledge funding from the Ten-thousand Talents Program of Zhejiang Province, National Key R&D Program of China, National Natural
Science Foundation of China, One Belt and One Road International
Cooperation Project from the Key Research and Development Program of
Zhejiang Province, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
and Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_Chemical_Society. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Anran Yuan, Fan Xia, Qiong Bian, Haibin Wu, Yueting Gu, Tao Wang,
Ruxuan
Wang, Lingling Huang, Qiaoling Huang, Yuefeng Rao, Daishun Ling,
Fangyuan Li, Jianqing Gao. Ceria Nanozyme-Integrated Microneedles
Reshape the Perifollicular Microenvironment for Androgenetic
Alopecia Treatment. ACS Nano, 2021; DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c05272 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210811162844.htm

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