Baldness might soon meet its match in a patch made from sugar. Scientists have engineered a dissolving microneedle system that fuses minoxidil, the main ingredient in Rogaine, with stevioside, the natural sweetener from the Stevia plant. The result is a tiny grid of microscopic spikes that melt into the scalp, releasing medication directly to the roots of hair growth.
Developed by teams in China and Australia and published in *Advanced Healthcare Materials*, the invention solves two of minoxidil’s biggest problems: it doesn’t dissolve well in water, and it barely seeps through skin. By building the microneedles out of stevioside, researchers found a way to make the drug more soluble, more absorbable, and far more effective than traditional topical solutions.
Microneedles work by creating painless channels through the skin’s outer layer, then dissolving to deliver their contents exactly where hair follicles lie. Stevioside, a molecule with both water-loving and water-repelling sides, behaves like a natural carrier, wrapping around minoxidil and ferrying it deep into the epidermis without the sting or irritation of alcohol-based treatments.
In lab tests using pig ear tissue, more than 85% of the drug penetrated the skin, with nearly 20% staying in place, over twice the amount seen with regular liquid minoxidil. When tested on mice bred to mimic pattern baldness, the patch spurred regrowth in roughly 67% of the treated area within 35 days, compared to just 25% for standard applications.
The technology could streamline hair restoration routines, reducing the need for daily treatments and avoiding messy solvents. Still, human biology remains the ultimate test, since hair growth cycles in people are slower and influenced by many factors. Clinical trials will determine whether this sweet innovation can turn a pantry staple into the next revolution in hair loss therapy.
#tech #biotech #dermatology #hairloss #minoxidil #microneedles #stevia #regenerativemedicine #innovation
Source: 10.1002/adhm.202503575
Baldness might soon meet its match in a patch made from sugar. Scientists have engineered a dissolving microneedle system that fuses minoxidil, the main ingredient in Rogaine, with stevioside, the natural sweetener from the Stevia plant. The result is a tiny grid of microscopic spikes that melt into the scalp, releasing medication directly to the roots of hair growth.
Developed by teams in China and Australia and published in *Advanced Healthcare Materials*, the invention solves two of minoxidil’s biggest problems: it doesn’t dissolve well in water, and it barely seeps through skin. By building the microneedles out of stevioside, researchers found a way to make the drug more soluble, more absorbable, and far more effective than traditional topical solutions.
Microneedles work by creating painless channels through the skin’s outer layer, then dissolving to deliver their contents exactly where hair follicles lie. Stevioside, a molecule with both water-loving and water-repelling sides, behaves like a natural carrier, wrapping around minoxidil and ferrying it deep into the epidermis without the sting or irritation of alcohol-based treatments.
In lab tests using pig ear tissue, more than 85% of the drug penetrated the skin, with nearly 20% staying in place, over twice the amount seen with regular liquid minoxidil. When tested on mice bred to mimic pattern baldness, the patch spurred regrowth in roughly 67% of the treated area within 35 days, compared to just 25% for standard applications.
The technology could streamline hair restoration routines, reducing the need for daily treatments and avoiding messy solvents. Still, human biology remains the ultimate test, since hair growth cycles in people are slower and influenced by many factors. Clinical trials will determine whether this sweet innovation can turn a pantry staple into the next revolution in hair loss therapy.
#tech #biotech #dermatology #hairloss #minoxidil #microneedles #stevia #regenerativemedicine #innovation
Source: 10.1002/adhm.202503575
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