Scientists have found a potential connection between a natural sweetener and curing a common affliction.
Baldness is something that commonly affects men once they reach a certain age, with hair starting to thin and patches beginning to develop.
Male Pattern Baldness, or androgenetic alopecia if we're being fancy, is influenced by both genetic and hormonal factors.
There are treatments out there already for people who want them, including hair transplants.
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But now another has emerged from an unexpected source.
This is the natural sweetener stevioside, which is commonly found in a lot of products.
Now, before you get too excited, this isn't just that if you eat the sweetener you'll be less likely to develop baldness - sorry.
But scientists from China and Australia have researched how it can be developed into a treatment.
This involves combining stevioside with minoxidil, an active medical ingredient in products such as Rogaine.
The two chemicals are then combined with a 'microneedle patch'.
“Using STV as a novel solubilizing agent, we incorporated minoxidil into a dissolving microneedle patch, which was used to enhance the solubility and bioavailability of minoxidil and overcome the limitations of traditional carrier single-function approaches,” the study authors wrote in the paper, which was published in Science Daily.
“This method not only enhances drug penetration into skin but also eliminates other issues associated with traditional topical formulations, such as slow onset of action and/or inaccurate dosing.”
The tests were carried out on mice, and indicated that there may be some regrowth.
But hold your horses there, because the authors clarified that, while the results from testing on mice are promising, people are very different from mice.
Lifeng Kang, a co-author of the study from the University of Sydney, told Gizmodo: “While the mouse model results are promising, human hair growth cycles differ, and androgenetic alopecia is influenced by multiple factors.
“Therefore, clinical trials are essential to confirm efficacy and safety in humans.”
The treatment would work as a dissolving patch.
Kang said: “This work opens exciting possibilities for more effective and user-friendly treatments for hair loss."
Minoxidil has previously been used to treat male pattern baldness, but in its current form can be difficult to apply.
One issue is that it doesn't dissolve easily in liquid, and also can be difficult to absorb into the body correctly.
However, it is hoped that this combination with the sweetener will help to counteract this particular drawback, and make the treatment more accessible.
Kit Roberts