Key points from article :
Researchers set out to develop new treatments for the most common of hair loss conditions.
They focused on primary mechanisms behind this, namely oxidative stress and poor circulation.
It is a combination of accumulating reactive oxygen species in the scalp that kill off the cells behind new hair growth.
Lack of blood vessels around the follicles to provide them with nutrients and essential molecules.
Nanoparticles were coated with a biodegradable compound called polyethylene glycol-lipid.
Then combined with a substance abundant in human skin called hyaluronic acid and poured into a mold.
Formed a dissolvable microneedle patch, put to the test on mouse models, alongside a control patch.
Both patches proved capable of stimulating growth of new blood vessels around the hair follicles.
Bald mice treated with the microneedle patch containing the cerium nanoparticles exhibited faster hair regrowth.
Research by Zhejiang University published in ACS Nano.
