{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,22]],"date-time":"2025-12-22T07:09:36Z","timestamp":1766387376014,"version":"3.48.0"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,20]],"date-time":"2025-12-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1766188800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pharmaceuticals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Topical minoxidil remains the only FDA-approved treatment for hair loss, yet its clinical efficacy is compromised by organic-solvent-induced scalp irritation and poor patient adherence. This study aimed to evaluate natural illite as a carrier for minoxidil and to explore its potential hair-growth-promoting mechanisms. Methods: Thermal\u2013acid-modified illite was engineered as a spray-dried, hydroalcohol-free minoxidil carrier for topical application. Hair regrowth efficacy was assessed in C57BL\/6 mice via a 14-day depilation model. Mechanisms were elucidated via RNA-seq, Ki67\/TUNEL immunofluorescence, and p-STAT3 immunohistochemistry. Results: Modified illite resulted in a 4.2-fold surface area increase and successful minoxidil loading. The minoxidil\/illite formulation demonstrated efficacy equivalent to that of free minoxidil while also eliminating solvent toxicity. Mechanistic analysis revealed that illite functions as an active carrier: both the illite-alone and minoxidil\/illite-treated groups exhibited increased Ki67+ proliferation and reduced TUNEL+ apoptosis. Transcriptomic profiling demonstrated dual mechanisms\u2014enrichment of Myc proliferation pathways and suppression of IL-6 inflammatory signaling (p &lt; 0.001)\u2014with reduced p-STAT3 expression confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Conclusions: These findings suggest that an illite-based carrier can enable topical delivery of minoxidil with preserved efficacy and that illite itself exhibits intrinsic hair-growth-promoting activity via anti-inflammatory and pro-proliferative mechanisms, which may help alleviate adherence barriers associated with conventional topical alopecia therapy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ph19010011","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,22]],"date-time":"2025-12-22T07:01:33Z","timestamp":1766386893000},"page":"11","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Using a Natural Clay Mineral as an Active Drug Carrier to Promote Hair Growth"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-4074-955X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zhiqing","family":"Liu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji 133000, China"},{"name":"Department of Medical Cosmetology, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji 133000, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Wenhua","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic Surgery, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji 133000, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Shanhua","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anesthesia, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji 133000, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Meilan","family":"Nan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji 133000, China"},{"name":"Department of Medical Cosmetology, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji 133000, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xian","family":"Cui","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji 133000, China"},{"name":"Department of Medical Cosmetology, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji 133000, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yue","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji 133000, China"},{"name":"Department of Medical Cosmetology, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji 133000, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zhehu","family":"Jin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji 133000, China"},{"name":"Department of Medical Cosmetology, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji 133000, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Wan","family":"Meng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Yanbian University, Yanji 133000, China"},{"name":"Yanbian University Research Center for Application of Illite Natural Clay (YURAI), Yanji 133000, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-9384-2159","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jingbi","family":"Meng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji 133000, China"},{"name":"Department of Medical Cosmetology, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji 133000, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Longquan","family":"Pi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji 133000, China"},{"name":"Department of Medical Cosmetology, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji 133000, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"458","DOI":"10.1093\/bjd\/ljaf189","article-title":"Psychosocial burden and the impact of illness perceptions and stigma on quality of life, anxiety and depression in alopecia areata: Results from the Alopecia + Me study","volume":"193","author":"Christou","year":"2025","journal-title":"Br. 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