Development of a shampoo-like gel that could help chemotherapy patients limit hair loss

Initial experiments showed that the hydrogel was able to deliver vasoconstrictor drugs directly to the scalp, thereby narrowing blood vessels and reducing the amount of toxic chemotherapy drugs entering hair follicles.

Researchers at Michigan State University (USA) have developed a shampoo-like gel that can help chemotherapy patients limit hair loss during treatment.

According to research published in the journal Biomaterials Advances, initial experiments show that this hydrogel has the ability to deliver vasoconstrictor drugs directly to the scalp, thereby narrowing blood vessels and reducing the amount of toxic chemotherapy drugs entering hair follicles.

Currently, the only approved method to prevent hair loss due to chemotherapy is to use a scalp cooling cap.

However, researchers say this approach is expensive and often comes with side effects.

Meanwhile, the newly designed gel has the ability to retain large amounts of water and gradually release active ingredients such as lidocaine and adrenaline into the scalp over a certain period of time. As a result, hair follicles are less exposed to chemotherapy drugs, which often cause damage or destruction, leading to hair loss.

Bryan Smith, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Michigan State University, said there was still a need for a solution to hair loss caused by chemotherapy. The idea for the gel came from his conversations with patients directly affected by the condition.

In terms of application, the gel is able to react to temperature changes: at body temperature, the gel thickens to adhere to the scalp, while at lower temperatures, the gel thins, making it easy to wash off./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/phat-trien-loai-gel-giong-dau-goi-co-the-giup-benh-nhan-hoa-tri-han-che-rung-toc-post1059909.vnp