Thermodynamically stable ionic liquid microemulsions pioneer pathways for topical delivery and peptide application.

Preclinical study involving theoretical calculations, in vitro experiments, and in vivo animal trials

“To further determine the biological functions of this system, multi-dimensional experimental validation was conducted using cells, in vitro experiments, and in vivo evaluations on mice.”

Human fibroblast cells (HFD), porcine skin, and C57BL/6 mice

“Therefore, the effects of the developed system on cells were evaluated using a human fibroblast cell line (HFD).”

Six mice per group in the in vivo experiments

“Application twice daily for 21 days, followed by fasting for 12 h and then execution of the mice for sampling.”

21 days of treatment followed by a 12-hour fasting period before sampling

“Application twice daily for 21 days, followed by fasting for 12 h and then execution of the mice for sampling.”

The IL microemulsion system improved the local delivery of copper peptides by approximately three-fold compared to controls

“The calculated results (shown in Fig. 4d) revealed that the permeated amount of copper peptides was 2.65-fold higher after delivery using CaT than that using PBS, while it improved to 3.18-fold higher than that of the PBS group when using the CaT-ME system as the carrier.”

The system promoted hair growth in mice, with the CaT-ME group showing higher hair density than the minoxidil group

“Specifically, the hair density in the CaT-ME group was higher than those of the CaT and positive drug groups, which were comparable (Fig. 5e).”

The system activated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and increased the expression of growth factors like VEGF and HGF

“These results suggest that the Wnt/β-catenin pathway is activated by CaT and CaT-ME.”