AI-Summary – News For Tomorrow
Researchers have found that stevioside, a natural sweetener from the Stevia plant, can enhance the absorption of minoxidil, a common hair loss treatment, improving its effectiveness. Androgenetic alopecia, or pattern baldness, affects millions and is driven by hormonal sensitivity causing hair follicles to shrink. While minoxidil stimulates hair growth by increasing blood flow, its poor skin penetration limits its potential. Studies using dissolvable patches containing both stevioside and minoxidil on mice showed promising results, stimulating hair follicles and resulting in new hair growth. This finding offers a potential path towards more effective and natural hair loss treatments.
News summary provided by Gemini AI.
Androgenetic alopecia, also known as male pattern baldness or female pattern hair loss, is one of the most widespread causes of hair thinning in both men and women. While topical minoxidil is an approved therapy, its limited ability to dissolve in water and penetrate the skin reduces its effectiveness. Researchers reporting in Advanced Healthcare Materials have found that stevioside, a natural sweetener extracted from the Stevia plant, can help improve how well the drug is absorbed through the skin.
In tests using a mouse model of alopecia, a dissolvable patch containing both stevioside and minoxidil successfully stimulated hair follicles to re-enter the growth phase, which resulted in the development of new hair.
“Using stevioside to enhance minoxidil delivery represents a promising step toward more effective and natural treatments for hair loss, potentially benefiting millions worldwide,” said co-corresponding author Lifeng Kang, PhD, of the University of Sydney, in Australia.
Androgenetic alopecia develops gradually over time and is influenced by both genetic and hormonal factors. The condition occurs when hair follicles become increasingly sensitive to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone derived from testosterone. This sensitivity causes the follicles to shrink, leading to shorter and finer strands of hair until growth eventually stops. Although the pattern and progression differ between men and women, the biological mechanism is similar.
Currently, treatment options are limited, with minoxidil being one of the few widely approved topical therapies. Minoxidil works by widening blood vessels and increasing blood flow around hair follicles, which can extend the growth phase of the hair cycle and stimulate new strands to develop. However, because the drug does not easily pass through the outer layer of skin and dissolves poorly in water, its full potential is often not realized. Patients must apply it consistently for several months before seeing results, and even then, the response varies from person to person.
This challenge has driven researchers to explore new ways of improving how minoxidil is delivered to the scalp. Enhancing the drug’s skin permeability could make treatments more efficient, reduce application frequency, and possibly lower side effects related to overuse. The discovery that stevioside can act as a natural absorption enhancer offers a new direction for scientists seeking to improve both the safety and effectiveness of hair loss therapies.
