2. Academic Validation
  3. Microneedle-mediated hypoxic extracellular vesicle-encapsulated selenium nanoparticles delivery to treat androgenetic alopecia

Microneedle-mediated hypoxic extracellular vesicle-encapsulated selenium nanoparticles delivery to treat androgenetic alopecia

  • J Control Release. 2025 Mar 3:381:113597. doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2025.113597.
Shuili Jing 1,  Yonghao Liu 2,  Ben Wang 3,  Heng Zhou 2,  Hui Zhang 2,  Prakriti Siwakoti 4,  Xiangyu Qu 5,  Peng Ye 6,  Yan He 7,  Tushar Kumeria 8,  Qingsong Ye 9
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Center of Regenerative Medicine & Department of Stomatology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China; Department of Stomatology, Linhai Second People's Hospital, Linhai 317000, China; Cell Therapy Center, Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China.
  • 2 Center of Regenerative Medicine & Department of Stomatology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.
  • 3 Department of Stomatology, Linhai Second People's Hospital, Linhai 317000, China.
  • 4 School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
  • 5 School of Computer Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
  • 6 Center of Regenerative Medicine & Department of Stomatology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China. Electronic address: yp800111@163.com.
  • 7 Institute of Regenerative and Translational Medicine, Tianyou Hospital of Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430064, China; Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02114, MA, USA. Electronic address: helen-1101@hotmail.com.
  • 8 School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia; School of Pharmacy, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia; Australian Center for Nanomedicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. Electronic address: t.kumeria@unsw.edu.au.
  • 9 Center of Regenerative Medicine & Department of Stomatology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China; Department of Stomatology, Linhai Second People's Hospital, Linhai 317000, China. Electronic address: qingsongye@whu.edu.cn.
PMID: 40043914 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2025.113597
Abstract

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common type of hair loss, and there is a lack of ideal treatment options. The damage and shedding of hair follicles are closely associated with niche dysregulation, including Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) accumulation, microvascular damage, and persistent inflammation. In this study, a biocomposite microneedle system comprising hypoxic extracellular vesicle (EV)-encapsulated selenium nanozyme (Se-HEVs-AMN) was designed to create a favorable perifollicular microenvironment. The novel Se-HEVs-AMN biocomposite patch features microneedles with sufficient mechanical strength, tailored dissolution properties, and a convenient detachable backing layer. The microneedles are modified with Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) and loaded with hypoxia-induced EVs containing selenium nanozyme. When applied to the dorsal skin of AGA mice, the microneedles rapidly dissolve, releasing active ingredients that increase hair density and enlarge hair follicle diameter through regulating inflammation, promoting angiogenesis, scavenging ROS, and resisting androgen.

Keywords

Angiogenesis; Hypoxic extracellular vesicle; Microneedle; Reactive oxygen species; Selenium nanozyme.

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