Geunjeong Lee

Although hair loss plays a vital physiological function in present society, their impact on shaping self-esteem is undeniable. Even though there are numerous synthetic drugs available, these days, there are issues with safety, efficiency, and unclear time settings for required outcomes with the current synthetic drug remedies available; therefore, there is growing attention to discovering alternative methods to fight hair loss, primarily through plant-derived formulations. While earlier reports mostly focused on screening compounds or plant extracts affecting 5α-reductase, our research takes a unique direction. We employed a biochemical and molecular biological approach by delving into the complicated biosynthetic pathways involving 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β-HSD) and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) in producing testosterone derived from cholesterol. This process conceded requiring experimental results, posing insights into the control of the testosterone/dihydrotestosterone (DHT) production pathway. Our study confirms a discovery platform for finding potential candidates as hair loss inhibitors, highlighting exploring various biochemical mechanisms involving 17β-HSD and 3β-HSD in combination with medicinal plant extracts.

The main challenges in developing zeolites as cosmetic drug delivery systems are their cytotoxicities and the formation of drug-loading pore structures. In this study, Au-decorated zeolite nanocomposites were synthesized as an epidermal delivery system. Thus, 50 nm-sized Au nanoparticles were successfully deposited on zeolite 13X (super cage (α) and sodalite (β) cage structures) using the Turkevich method. Various cosmetic drugs, such as niacinamide, sulforaphane, and adenosine, were loaded under in vitro and in vivo observations. The Au-decorated zeolite nanocomposites exhibited effective cosmetic drug-loading efficiencies of 3.5 to 22.5 wt% under various conditions. For in vitro cytotoxic observations, B16F10 cells were treated with various cosmetic drugs. Niacinamide, sulforaphane, and adenosine-loaded Au-decorated zeolite nanocomposites exhibited clear cell viability of over 80%. Wrinkle improvement and a reduction in melanin content on the skin surface were observed in vivo. The adenosine delivery system exhibited an enhanced wrinkle improvement of 203% compared to 0.04 wt% of the pure adenosine system. The niacinamide- and sulforaphane-loaded Au-decorated zeolite nanocomposites decreased the skin surface melanin content by 123% and 222%, respectively, compared to 2 and 0.01 wt% of pure niacinamide and sulforaphane systems, respectively. As a result, Au-decorated zeolite nanocomposites show great potential as cosmetic drug epidermal delivery systems for both anti-aging and lightening effects.