Systematic review of preclinical and clinical evidence (2015–2024) on nanocarrier-based topical minoxidil (nanominoxidil) versus conventional minoxidil, placebo, or no treatment for androgenetic alopecia, across in vitro, ex vivo, in vivo, and human study designs.
Across 20 eligible studies (19 preclinical + 1 human tolerability study), nanominoxidil consistently increased follicular deposition and cutaneous retention ≈2- to >7-fold versus conventional solutions; hair growth surrogates and angiogenic/stem-cell markers were improved. Local tolerability was generally acceptable and systemic exposure was negligible.
- Evidence is almost entirely preclinical; the single human study assessed tolerability only in healthy volunteers, not therapeutic efficacy in AGA patients. - High heterogeneity in models, comparators, doses, follow-up, and outcomes prevented meta-analysis. - Frequent lack of randomization, blinding, and standardized safety reporting limits internal validity and generalizability.
Nanominoxidil formulations show promising follicular targeting in the lab but have no randomized clinical trial data in AGA patients — do not substitute for standard topical minoxidil in routine practice yet. Clinicians should watch for upcoming RCTs before adopting these formulations.
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