The study aimed to utilise deer placenta, which is often considered a waste product in agricultural farms in Thailand.
Deer placenta extract (DPE) is known for its regenerative effects, said the study.
The researchers believed that DPE held major potential as an anti-hair loss treatment, as previous studies have demonstrated that other placenta extracts from animals, such as goats, can promote hair cell proliferation, stimulating hair growth and rejuvenation.
Studies on human follicle dermal papilla (HFDP) cells, which are crucial for hair growth, revealed that DPE significantly enhanced cell proliferation and migration
This effect was likely due to the presence of various growth factors and bioactive compounds in DPE, including Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1).
Furthermore, DPE exhibited protective effects against damage caused by cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug known to induce hair loss.
Both pre-treatment and post-treatment with DPE significantly increased HFDP cell proliferation in the presence of cisplatin
Delivery is key
However, effective delivery of DPE through the skin was a limitation.
The study explored the use of nanoniosomes (NS) and microspicules (MS) to enhance the penetration of DPE into the hair follicles.
The researchers developed a NS-MS gel as a delivery system.
This system combined niosomes, which are microscopic vesicles that can encapsulate DPE, and microspicules, which create pathways in the skin to enhance penetration.
“The gel-based formulation provided greater stability due to its suitable viscosity, which helped effectively suspend macromolecular protein, vesicles, and MS. This combination of nanoencapsulation via niosomes and the minimally invasive delivery approach using MS effectively overcame the skin barrier and facilitated the transport of bioactive macromolecules derived from DPE into and through the skin and hair follicles,” explained the researchers.
The study conducted a skin permeation study using abdominal skin was sourced from stillborn pigs from a local farm.
The study compared the NS-MS gel against DPE in solution and DPE-loaded NS without microspicules.
The results showed a trend of increased protein permeation with the NS-MS gel compared to the other formulations. However, the differences were not statistically significant, possibly due to interference from endogenous skin proteins.
“Therefore, the use of a model macromolecular protein may be required in future studies to more accurately assess the permeation-enhancing effects of NS-MS formulation,” researchers suggested.
Additionally, the researchers employed confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM), to gain a visual understanding of the permeation of the NS-MS gel.
The researchers concluded that the formulation successfully bypassed the skin barrier, allowing bioactive macromolecules from DPE to reach the skin and hair follicles.
“This dual mechanism of action enables efficient permeation into the skin and hair follicles, which is crucial for targeting the site of hair cell proliferation and regeneration. Consequently, DPE-loaded NS-MS might be a promising formulation for promoting hair growth in both healthy individuals and patients suffering from chemotherapy-induced hair loss.”
Future studies needed
Despite the encouraging results, the study focused on in vitro experiments and skin permeation studies.
The effectiveness of DPE as a hair growth treatment has yet to be determined through human clinical trials.
“While this study offers valuable insights into the bioactivity of DPE and the formulation of NS-MS as an effective delivery system, it is limited by the lack of clinical efficacy data in human volunteers. Future studies are planned to evaluate the long-term benefits and therapeutic potential of this treatment in human trials.”
