Overcoming the Low Bioavailability of Apigenin: The Therapeutic Efficacy for Androgenetic Alopecia Through Topical Administration

Numerous common foods are abundant in apigenin. These include parsley, celery, chamomile, and snow lotus. Apigenin demonstrates a broad spectrum of biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cancer, neuroprotective, and antidiabetic effects. Consequently, many scientists have endeavored to develop it as a drug. Nevertheless, there are no commercially available or clinically used drugs containing apigenin, primarily because of its poor water and fat solubility. In this study, a topical administration approach of apigenin was employed to treat skin diseases, aiming to overcome the issue of low bioavailability. Based on the target prediction results, the top 10 targets suggest that androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a potential target disease. After 28 days of treatment in testosterone-induced AGA mice, the hair growth status was comparable to that in the minoxidil group and the normal group, and was significantly better than that in the model group. The mRNA level expression in the serum indicated that apigenin might promote hair growth through the Wnt signaling pathway. The docking study revealed that CDK5 is the most likely target of apigenin for treating AGA. This study verified that topical administration of apigenin is a viable strategy for drug development.