Colored Polymeric Nanofiber Loaded with Minoxidil Sulphate as Beauty Coverage and Restoring Hair Loss

Fabrication and optimization of electrospun polymeric nanofibers loaded with 5-fluorouracil and rosemary extract

BACKGROUND

Topical 5-fluorouracil [5FU] is one of the mostly prescribed medications for different types of skin cancer; however, it is associated with drug resistance and adverse effects. Rosemary extract has promising dose-dependent antitumor effects, as well as a synergistic effect in combination with 5-fluorouracil besides sensitizing the 5-FU-resistant cells.

OBJECTIVE

Polymeric nanofibers loaded with 5FU and rosemary extract were optimized to combine both ingredients in one controlled release drug delivery system, aiming to enhance the efficacy while retaining the adverse effects.

METHOD

Polymeric nanofibers loaded with 5-FU and rosemary were fabricated via electrospinning technique. Design expert software was utilized to study the effect of independent variables including polymer concentration, voltage, and feeding rate on the characteristics of the resulting nanofibers. Afterwards, the FTIR spectrum and release kinetic of the drug and extract from the optimized nanofibers and their cytotoxic effect against A375 cell line were investigated.

RESULTS

The formulation composed of 6.65% PVA electrospun at 1 mL.h-1 and 17.5kV was chosen as the optimum fabrication condition. The mean diameter of the optimized nanofibers was 755 nm. The drug and rosemary extract contents were 75.38 and 93.42%, respectively. The fabrication yield was 100%, bioadhesion force was 1.28 N, and bead abundance was 10 per field. The cytotoxicity of the optimized formulation was significantly higher than the control groups.

CONCLUSION

According to the appropriate loading percent, release efficiency and release kinetics, bioadhesion force, and cytotoxicity, these nanofibers could be further investigated as a topical treatment option to increase the efficacy of 5-FU.

Transdermal Composite Microneedle Composed of Mesoporous Iron Oxide Nanoraspberry and PVA for Androgenetic Alopecia Treatment

The transdermal delivery of therapeutic agents amplifying a local concentration of active molecules have received considerable attention in wide biomedical applications, especially in vaccine development and medical beauty. Unlike oral or subcutaneous injections, this approach can not only avoid the loss of efficacy of oral drugs due to the liver's first-pass effect but also reduce the risk of infection by subcutaneous injection. In this study, a magneto-responsive transdermal composite microneedle (MNs) with a mesoporous iron oxide nanoraspberry (MIO), that can improve the drug delivery efficiency, was fabricated by using a 3D printing-molding method. With loading of Minoxidil (Mx, a medication commonly used to slow the progression of hair loss and speed the process of hair regrowth), MNs can break the barrier of the stratum corneum through the puncture ability, and control the delivery dose for treating androgenetic alopecia (AGA). By 3D printing process, the sizes and morphologies of MNs is able to be, easily, architected. The MIOs were embedded into the tip of MNs which can deliver Mx as well as generate mild heating for hair growth, which is potentially attributed by the expansion of hair follicle and drug penetration. Compared to the mice without any treatments, the hair density of mice exhibited an 800% improvement after being treated by MNs with MF at 10-days post-treatment.