The team from the National Natural Science Foundation of China used the best candidate from their results to construct a proof-of-concept microneedle patch and effectively regenerated hair on mice.
Most people with substantial hair loss have the condition androgenic alopecia, also called male- or female-pattern baldness.
In this condition, hair follicles can be damaged by androgens, inflammation or an overabundance of reactive oxygen species, such as oxygen free radicals.
When the levels of oxygen free radicals are too high, they can overwhelm the body’s antioxidant enzymes that typically keep them in check.
Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is one of these enzymes, and researchers have recently created SOD mimics called 'nanozymes'. But so far, those that have been reported aren’t very good at removing oxygen free radicals.
The researchers used machine learning, a form of AI, to help them design a better nanozyme for treating hair loss. They tested...