ArticleResearch (Washington, D.C.)2025
Robust Metformin Nanosystem Promotes Hair Growth in Androgenetic Alopecia.
Article in Research (Washington, D.C.), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- 15-Hydroxyprostaglandin Dehydrogenase Inhibitor Restores Endothelial Function Under Dihydrotestosterone-Induced Stress in Human Dermal Microvascular Endothelial Cells.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- PEGylated black-phosphorus nanosheet-alginate hydrogels enable local PRRX1 delivery to drive fibroblast reprogramming in intestinal fibrosis.Journal of nanobiotechnology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Androgenetic alopecia (AGA)-a condition characterized by hair loss due to aging, autoimmune responses, stress, and other factors-results in hair follicle (HF) shrinkage and dermal papilla cell apoptosis. So far, only minoxidil (MXD) and finasteride have been approved for AGA treatment. However, both drugs have serious side effects, including hypersensitivity and sexual dysfunction. Hence, novel treatment agents are required for AGA. Although metformin (Met) is primarily a diabetes drug, it is also known to promote hair growth. However, it shows low transdermal permeability, and the mechanisms underlying its therapeutic effects on AGA remain unclear. Two-dimensional black phosphorus nanosheets (BP NSs) have attracted attention as drug carriers due to their low cytotoxicity, good biocompatibility, and strong antioxidant capacity. However, they are unstable, prone to degradation, and unsuitable for transdermal drug delivery. Fortunately, this limitation can be addressed through modification strategies, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) addition (PEGylation). Here, we PEGylated BP NSs to improve their stability and loaded them with Met to generate a transdermal system (BP-PEG-Met) for AGA treatment. Compared with topical MXD, BP-PEG-Met markedly promoted hair regeneration while inducing fewer side effects. BP-PEG-Met scavenged excessive reactive oxygen species in skin cells, reducing the oxidative stress around HFs. Moreover, it up-regulated the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (CD31) in dermal papillae, inducing angiogenesis around HFs and accelerating the hair cycle toward anagen. Overall, this BP-PEG-Met transdermal delivery system showed marked clinical potential as a multifunctional tool for treating alopecia and possibly managing other skin conditions.
Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.