Effective Topical Delivery of Minoxidil via Chitosan Coated Nanocapsules to Remodel Microenvironment of Dermal Follicle for Hair Regeneration

February 2026 in “ Drug Delivery and Translational Research ”

Jin Sil Lee, Tae Eon Park, Panmo Son, Hyeryeon Oh, Su Bin Lee, Sunghyun Kim, Jeung-Hoon Lee, Ki Hean Kim, Won Il Choi

TLDR Chitosan-coated nanocapsules improve minoxidil delivery for better hair regrowth.

The study investigates the use of chitosan-coated nanocapsules (ChiNCs) for delivering minoxidil topically to treat hair loss. These nanocapsules enhance the solubility and skin penetration of minoxidil without the need for irritating solvents. The minoxidil-loaded ChiNCs (MXD@ChiNCs) showed high encapsulation efficiency, stability, and a sustained release profile, with no cytotoxicity or impact on cell proliferation in skin-related cell lines. In animal models, MXD@ChiNCs significantly improved hair regrowth compared to other minoxidil formulations, indicating their potential as an effective topical treatment for alopecia.

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Research cited in this study

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research Recent Advances in Drug Development for Hair Loss

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Effective Topical Delivery of Minoxidil via Chitosan Coated Nanocapsules to Remodel Microenvironment of Dermal Follicle for Hair Regeneration

Research cited in this study

research Recent Advances in Drug Development for Hair Loss

research Temperature-Responsive Detachable Microneedles Integrated with Minoxidil Nanoparticle for Effectively Promoting Hair Regrowth

research Chitosan and Its Amphiphilic Derivative Nanoparticles Loaded with Minoxidil for Induction of Hair Growth: In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation

research Development and Evaluation of Finasteride Niosomes Targeting Hair Follicles for Androgenic Alopecia Management

research The Preparation of High Minoxidil Loaded Transfersomes and Its Gel for Effective Topical Treatment of Alopecia

research Hair-Growth-Promoting Effects of the Fish Collagen Peptide in Human Dermal Papilla Cells and C57BL/6 Mice Modulating Wnt/Beta-Catenin and BMP Signaling Pathways

research Development of Minoxidil-Loaded Double Emulsion PLGA Nanoparticles for the Treatment of Hair Loss

research Direct Reprogramming of Mouse Fibroblasts into Dermal Papilla Cells via Small Molecules

research Induction of Dermal Fibroblasts into Dermal Papilla Cell-Like Cells in Hydrogel Microcapsules for Enhanced Hair Follicle Regeneration

research Novel Iron Oxide Nanocarriers Loading Finasteride or Dutasteride: Enhanced Skin Penetration for Topical Treatment of Alopecia

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