SYDNEY: A sweet solution could make a common hair-loss treatment work better. Researchers in Australia and China have developed a stevia-based microneedle patch that delivered minoxidil 18 times more effectively in mice, potentially offering a new approach to treating male pattern baldness.
The experimental patch also produced significant hair regrowth in the animals. After 35 days, hair covered 67.5% of previously bald areas, while conventional minoxidil treatment typically takes three to six months to produce new hair growth in humans.
Male pattern baldness, also known as androgenetic alopecia, is an inherited condition that causes men to progressively lose hair in a characteristic pattern, often leaving hair mainly on the sides and back of the head. It accounts for more than 95% of hair loss in men.
Minoxidil has been used to treat hair loss since 1988. The drug was originally developed to treat high blood pressure before its hair-growth effects were discovered. Although topical minoxidil remains one of the most widely used treatments for male pattern baldness, the drug is poorly absorbed through the skin, limiting how efficiently it reaches its target.
To overcome that problem, the researchers developed a patch containing minoxidil and microscopic needles made from stevioside, a natural sweetener derived from the stevia plant. The needles are designed to penetrate the outer layer of the skin and deliver the drug directly to the targeted area.
The team tested different concentrations of stevioside before applying the optimized patches to mice genetically modified to exhibit characteristics of male pattern baldness. The animals treated with the stevia-based patch absorbed 18 times more minoxidil than those in the control group.
The treatment also produced notable hair regrowth. After 35 days, the treated mice had hair covering 67.5% of areas that had previously been bald. The result suggests that improving the delivery of minoxidil could potentially accelerate its effects, although the findings cannot yet be directly applied to human patients.
The researchers said the microneedles have another potential advantage over some earlier systems. Unlike metal-based microneedles, the stevia-based needles dissolve after application and are minimally metabolized by the body, with most of the sweetener eventually excreted.
The dissolving design could also reduce irritation associated with some conventional microneedle systems. Once the needles deliver the medication, they disappear rather than remaining in the skin.
The researchers said the patch could make treatment more convenient by providing controlled and prolonged drug release directly to the targeted area. It may also help address limitations of traditional topical formulations, including slow drug delivery and difficulties with accurate dosing.
“The microneedle patch simplifies the treatment regimen by providing a more convenient, long-acting option that ensures controlled and prolonged drug release directly to the targeted area,” the researchers wrote in their study, published in Advanced Healthcare Materials.
They said combining microneedle technology with minoxidil and stevioside could improve drug penetration and potentially enhance treatment outcomes for androgenetic alopecia.
However, the findings have so far been demonstrated only in mice. The study does not establish that the patch will produce the same level of drug absorption or hair growth in humans. Further research and clinical trials will be needed to assess its safety, effectiveness and appropriate dosing before it can be considered a treatment option for people with hair loss.
