Patent Application
20220008705
The present disclosure relates to a method for increasing a viability of cells by irradiating the cells with ultrasound and an ultrasound irradiating device using the same.
Minoxidil and Propecia are substances used as hair growth promoters. Minoxidil is a formulation applied to a scalp, and was developed by Pfizer as a treatment for hypertension due to its vasodilating effect, but is marketed as a hair loss treatment after a study on side effects of hair development on a forehead or a back of a hand. The mechanism by which minoxidil promotes hair growth is not fully understood, but it is theoretically known that minoxidil widens blood vessels in the scalp, opens potassium channels in cell membranes, and provides more oxygen and nutrients to follicles and thus inhibits hair loss, promotes hair growth, and thickens hair. But common side effects include redness, dry scalp, heart palpitations, tachycardia, and arrhythmia, etc.
Propecia sold by Merck is a brand name of finasteride which was originally developed to treat prostatic hyperplasia, but is used as the hair loss treatment because it promotes hair growth. 5α-reductase converts testosterone, i.e., male hormone, into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which plays a major role in causing the hair loss. Finasteride reduces concentration of DHT that causes the hair loss by inhibiting the 5α-reductase enzyme. Typical side effects include decreased sexual functions, such as impotence, decreased libido, and a sexual arousal disorder, etc., and dizziness, a headache, a swelling, and a skin rash, etc. Men with infertility or low sperm count should pay attention to taking the drugs. In addition, there is a risk of birth defects, so women of childbearing age should not take or contact the drugs, and there are restrictions on prescription.
In addition, Avodart is a brand name of dutasteride family and, like finasteride, was developed as a treatment for the prostatic hyperplasia, but has been found to have an effect of preventing hair loss and is used as the hair loss treatment. In general, dutasteride is known to have a slightly stronger inhibitory effect against the hair loss than finasteride does. However, side effects such as the decreased libido, decreased kidney functions etc. are also known to be strong, so it is used less than finasteride, and has not been approved by the FDA as the hair loss treatment in the United States.
In view of the side effects of the drugs, it is urgent to develop a system that efficiently prevents the hair loss, increases hair thickness, and promotes blackening of hair while minimizing the side effects on the scalp and human body.
There are a number of raw materials included in functional cosmetics for preventing the hair loss, such as Redensyl, but those are peptides and growth factors, and most of them have high molecular weights (for example, 0.5 to 10 kDa). Therefore, when applied directly to a skin, the raw materials do not penetrate the skin well enough due to its low skin absorption rate.
Even if an existing drug delivery system (DDS) is used, only raw materials with low molecular weights (<500 Da) are partially absorbed due to the low skin absorption rate. Also, a deviation in the absorption rate is large depending on characteristics, such as hydrophilicity, hydrophobicity or poor solubility, etc., of the raw materials.
Iontophoresis is a technology that promotes absorption of drugs by using a potential difference generated by microcurrent through a means such as a patch at an application site. Although the technology has wide application, is non-invasive and painless, there may be limitations in the application when a polarity of the drug is not sufficiently strong, and there may also be limitations in a size or depth of the application of the drug. In addition, if the applied current is too strong, side effects such as erythema, itchiness, etc. may occur.
Microneedles deliver drugs by creating holes hundreds of micrometers deep in the skin. In addition, a laser system can apply the substance for preventing the hair loss to a patient's skin by dermabrasion by a depth of about 5-10 micrometers through laser irradiation, however, it may cause pain and the erythema by irritating the skin. In addition, it has a disadvantage in that it is difficult to apply repeatedly and difficult to apply to a large area.
Considering such limitations of the drug delivery system, there is a need for a method of increasing viability of cells without any side effects in a non-invasive and painless manner within a short time of application by using minimal amounts of the drugs.
It is an object of the present invention to solve all the aforementioned problems.
It is another object of the present disclosure to increase viability of one or more cells in a non-invasive and painless manner by irradiating the cells with ultrasound.
It is still another object of the present disclosure to further increase the viability of the cells by using a drug together with an epidermal drug carrier and the ultrasound compared to a case of only using the drug with a same concentration.
In order to accomplish objects above and characteristic effects to be described later of the present disclosure, distinctive structures of the present disclosure are described as follows.
In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for increasing a viability of one or more cells by irradiating the cells with ultrasound, including steps of: on condition that a drug and an epidermal drug carrier are applied on epidermis of a subject and that ultrasound parameters have been preset within respective ranges, an ultrasound irradiating device positioning an ultrasonic transducer within a threshold range from the epidermis of the subject and then irradiating the epidermis with the ultrasound, wherein the epidermal drug carrier causes cavitation to create at least one cavity around the epidermis in response to irradiating the epidermis with the ultrasound, and wherein the ultrasound parameters include pressure of the ultrasound and duty percentage of the ultrasound, wherein the pressure of the ultrasound ranges from 0.5 MPa to 1 MPa, and wherein the duty percentage of the ultrasound ranges from 1% to 5%.
As one example, the ultrasound parameters further include a pressure of the ultrasound, a duty percentage of the ultrasound, and an intensity of the ultrasound, and wherein the pressure ranges from 0.5 MPa to 1 MPa, the duty percentage ranges from 1% to 5%, and the intensity ranges from 166.7 mW/cm2 to 416.7 mW/cm2.
As one example, the drug is Redensyl.
As one example, a concentration of the Redensyl ranges from 0.5% to 1%.
As one example, the ultrasound parameters further include frequency of the ultrasound, and wherein the frequency of the ultrasound ranges from 0.5 MHz to 4.6 MHz.
As one example, the frequency of the ultrasound is 1 MHz.
As one example, the ultrasound parameters further include total irradiation time of the ultrasound, and wherein the total irradiation time is equal to or less than ten minutes.
As one example, the cells are outer root sheath cells.
In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an ultrasound irradiating device for increasing a viability of one or more cells by irradiating the cells with ultrasound, including: an ultrasound transducer; and a controlling part, on condition that a drug and an epidermal drug carrier are applied on epidermis of a subject and that ultrasound parameters have been preset within respective ranges, for positioning the ultrasonic transducer within a threshold range from the epidermis of the subject and then allowing the ultrasonic transducer to irradiate the epidermis with the ultrasound; and wherein the epidermal drug carrier causes cavitation to create at least one cavity around the epidermis in response to irradiating the epidermis with the ultrasound, and wherein the ultrasound parameters include a pressure of the ultrasound and a duty percentage of the ultrasound, wherein the pressure of the ultrasound ranges from 0.5 MPa to 1 MPa, and wherein the duty percentage of the ultrasound ranges from 1% to 5%.
As one example, the ultrasound parameters further include a pressure of the ultrasound, a duty percentage of the ultrasound, and an intensity of the ultrasound, and wherein the pressure ranges from 0.5 MPa to 1 MPa, the duty percentage ranges from 1% to 5%, and the intensity ranges from 166.7 mW/cm2 to 416.7 mW/cm2.
As one example, the drug is Redensyl.
As one example, a concentration of the Redensyl ranges from 0.5% to 1%.
As one example, the ultrasound parameters further include frequency of the ultrasound, and wherein the frequency of the ultrasound ranges from 0.5 MHz to 4.6 MHz.
As one example, the frequency of the ultrasound is 1 MHz.
As one example, the ultrasound parameters further include total irradiation time of the ultrasound, and wherein the total irradiation time is equal to or less than ten minutes.
As one example, the cells are outer root sheath cells.
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the present disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present disclosure. It is to be understood that the various embodiments of the present disclosure, although different, are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described herein in connection with one embodiment may be implemented within other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. In addition, it is to be understood that the position or arrangement of individual elements within each disclosed embodiment may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined only by the appended claims, appropriately interpreted, along with the full range of equivalents to which the claims are entitled. In the drawings, like numerals refer to the same or similar functionality throughout the several views.
To allow those skilled in the art to carry out the present disclosure easily, the example embodiments of the present disclosure will be explained in detail by referring to attached diagrams as shown below.
The ultrasound parameters are as follows.
Frequency: a frequency of the ultrasound
Duty percentage: a percentage value of actual time of ultrasound irradiation divided by a period
PRF (pulse repetition frequency): the number of times square wave is irradiated per second
PRP (pulse repetition period): 1/PRF
Pressure: a pressure of the ultrasound
Intensity=(duty percentage)×pressure2/(2×c×rho): energy of the ultrasound irradiated per unit area (c: speed of sound in water=1,500 m/s, rho: density of water=1,000 kg/m3)
As an example, in
For reference, a Table 1 below describes intensities according to pressures and duty percentages of the ultrasound.
Next,
Specifically, as a result of monitoring temperature changes during the ultrasound irradiation on a skin of an 8-week-old male rat, it is observed that a skin temperature increased by about 1.2 degrees Celsius after 30 minutes and that 0.05 degrees Celsius per minute was changed in temperature on average. That is, it can be seen that the degree of temperature change due to the ultrasound irradiation does not reach as much extent as it damages the skin.
Next, experimental conditions for observing the viability of the cells according to the ultrasound irradiation are described.
For reference, a Table 2 below describes cell seeding densities.
Also, a Table 3 below describes required amounts of the cells according to the conditions.
1 × 107
First, to explain the material, a cell culture is comprised of human hair outer root sheath cells (HHORSC), a mesenchymal stem cell medium (MSCM), an FBS 0.25% trypsin/EDTA solution, a trypsin neutralization solution, a Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (DPBS), and poly-L-lysine.
And a WST-1 cell proliferation assay system is used for WST-1 assay. Further, Trizol, a sensiFAST probe Hi-ROX one step kit, PrimeTime qPCR assay are used for PCR.
First, for culture dish coating (based on a T75 flask), 10 mL of deionized water (D.W.) is put into the T75 flask and then 15 μL of poly-L-lysine (10 mg/mL) is put into the T75 flask. Then, the T75 flask is placed in an incubator at 37° C. and an inside of the T75 flask is coated with poly-L-lysine for 1 hour. And the T75 flask is washed twice with D.W.
And a whole medium is created by using MSCM consisting of 500 mL basal medium, 25 mL FBS, and 5 mL of mesenchymal stem cells.
And, a frozen cell vial is warmed in a water bath at 37° C. Then the melted cells are placed on a growth medium of 3 mL and centrifuged at 3,000 rpm for 3 minutes to pull the cells down to the bottom. Then, DPBS is added to the centrifuged cells, and after washing, centrifuged again at 3,000 rpm for 3 minutes to pull the cells down, and these processes are repeated twice, creating cell pellets. Then, 8 mL of the growth medium is put into the T75 flask coated with poly-L-lysine, the cell pellets are dissolved therein, and after seeding, the T75 flask is placed in an incubator at 37° C. with 5% CO2.
And, if it is confirmed under the microscope that the cells have grown more than 90% in the cell subculture of the T75 flask, (i) 3 mL of DPBS is added to the cell subculture and washed and (ii) 3 mL of the trypsin/EDTA solution is added and the T75 flask is placed in the incubator at 37° C. for 3 minutes. Then, if it is confirmed that the cells have fallen from the T75 flask, (i) each 3 mL of the growth medium and the trypsin neutralization solution is added to the T75 flask in order to neutralize the trypsin/EDTA solution, (ii) the neutralized cell solution is transferred to a conical tube, and centrifuged at 3,000 rpm for 3 minutes to pull the cells down, creating cell pellets, (iii) 8 mL of the growth medium is put into the T75 flask coated with poly-L-lysine, (iv) the cell pellets are dissolved in the T75 flask, and (v) after seeding, the T75 flask is placed in the incubator at 37° C. with 5% CO2.
And, for 6 well plate/96 well plate cell seeding, poly-L-lysine is added for each plate according to a Table 4 below, and poly-L-lysine coating is performed according to a culture dish coating procedure.
Herein, if it is confirmed under the microscope that the cells have grown more than 90% in the cell subculture of the T75 flask, (i) 3 mL of DPBS is added to the cell subculture and washed and (ii) 3 mL of the trypsin/EDTA solution is added and the T75 flask is placed in the incubator at 37° C. for 3 minutes. Then, if it is confirmed that the cells have fallen from the T75 flask, (i) each 3 mL of the growth medium and the trypsin neutralization solution is added to the T75 flask in order to neutralize the trypsin/EDTA solution, (ii) the neutralized cell solution is transferred to the conical tube, and centrifuged at 3,000 rpm for 3 minutes to pull the cells down, and (iii) the cells are counted using trypan blue and a hemocytometer. And the cells are seeded as many as 8×104 in the 6 well plate and 4×104 in the 96 well plate.
For WST assay, in a case of an experiment of the ultrasound irradiation only, the cells seeded in the 6 well plate are cultured for 12 to 18 hours and observed with the microscope. And after removing the medium, the cells are washed twice with DPBS, put into a growth factor free medium, and irradiated with the ultrasound for 10 minutes. Then, the 6 well plate is placed in the incubator at 37° C. with 5% CO2 and incubated for 24 hours, then the medium is removed therefrom. The 6 well plate is then washed with DPBS, treated with 0.2 mL of WST-1, and placed in the incubator for 3 hours. Then supernatant is transferred from each well of the 6 well plate into 3 wells of a 96 well plate, and the 96 well plate is measured with a microplate reader at 450 nm.
For the WST assay, in a case of an experiment with drugs only, the cells seeded in the 96 well plate are cultured for 12 to 18 hours and confirmed whether the cells are seeded sufficiently. And after removing the medium, the cells are washed twice with DPBS, put into the growth factor free medium, and a drug is applied to the cells. Then, the 96 well plate is placed in the incubator at 37° C. with 5% CO2 for 24 hours, then the medium is removed therefrom. The 96 well plate is then washed with DPBS, treated with 0.2 mL of WST-1, and placed in the incubator for 3 hours. Then the 96 well plate is measured with the microplate reader at 450 nm.
Meanwhile,
Specifically,
For reference, a Table 5 below shows experimental conditions where the drug, the epidermal drug carrier, and the ultrasound are applied together. Herein, a solubility of minoxidil is 0.2% in PBS, on a condition of being measured 24 hours after application of the drug. For reference, blanks in the Table 5 represent that a control group, where only the ultrasound is used, is unavailable due to cell deformation caused by too strong an ultrasound.
1%
2%
3%
1%
2%
3%
1%
2%
3%
1%
2%
3%
Next,
As an example, the epidermal drug carrier may be configured with a single membrane as shown in
Meanwhile, in the cell experiment, a comparison between MTT and WST-1 was performed, and in the case of MTT, there was a problem of overlapping between an absorbance range of Redensyl and an absorbance range of MTT, resulting in a poor data accuracy. On the other hand, in the case of WST-1, since the absorbance range of Redensyl and the absorbance range of WST-1 did not overlap each other, the experiment was conducted by using WST-1.
In addition, a media comparison was performed. In a first experiment, after seeding stabilization, complete media was treated with Redensyl and observed for 24 hours. However, a time duration is not limited to 24 hours, and may be changed according to cell conditions. Also, in a second experiment, after the seeding stabilization, the media without a growth factor were treated with Redensyl and observed for 24 hours. Like the first experiment, the time duration of the second experiment may be changed according to the cell conditions.
By referring to the first experiment and the second experiment, an effect of the ultrasound was better observed when the media did not contain the growth factor. Therefore, the experiment was conducted by treating the media, which did not contain the growth factor, with Redensyl.
Subsequently, the ultrasound irradiation was conducted, and a quantitative analysis was performed through an assay before and after the ultrasound irradiation.
Tables 6 to 9 describe the experimental conditions of the ultrasound irradiation for evaluating physical effects of the ultrasound on the cells.
Specifically, Tables 6 and 7 describe observation conditions of Redensyl treatment on serum free media and complete media left overnight during the stabilization after the seeding.
In addition, Tables 8 and 9 describe the conditions of Redensyl treatment on the serum free media after the seeding and the stabilization.
Also, Table 10 describes the experimental conditions for irradiating the ultrasound while varying the pressure and the duty percentage of the ultrasound.
By referring to the Table 10, while varying the pressure (0.5 MPa, 1 MPa, and 1.5 MPa) and the duty percentage (1%, 2%, and 3%) of the ultrasound, the experiment was performed in which the cells were irradiated with the ultrasound for 10 minutes.
Specifically, in the wells No. 1 to No. 3, the ultrasound with the pressure of 0.5 MPa or 1 MPa, and the duty percentage of 1% to 3% is used.
However, in the well No. 4, the higher pressure (1.5 MPa) and the higher duty percentage (5% and 10%) were used for inducing cell death in order to compare the results of other pressures and other duty percentages with the results thereof.
The results are shown in
First,
By referring to
By referring to
By referring to
By referring to
By referring to
By referring to
By referring to
By referring to
By referring to
As such, by referring to
In addition, when the pressure was set to 1.5 MPa or more, the cell bursting or the deformation is observed. Also, compared to the control group, an increase in growth of the cells is observed when the cells are irradiated with the ultrasound in a safe energy range.
As an example, in accordance with the method for increasing the viability of the cells by irradiating the cells with the ultrasound, on condition that the drug and the epidermal drug carrier are applied on epidermis of a subject and that the ultrasound parameters have been preset within respective ranges, the ultrasound irradiating device may position an ultrasonic transducer within a threshold range from the epidermis of the subject and then may irradiate the epidermis with the ultrasound. Herein, the epidermal drug carrier may cause cavitation to create at least one cavity around the epidermis in response to irradiating the epidermis with the ultrasound. Further, the ultrasound parameters may include the pressure of the ultrasound and the duty percentage of the ultrasound. And the pressure of the ultrasound may range from 0.5 MPa to 1 MPa and the duty percentage of the ultrasound may range from 1% to 5%.
Also, the ultrasound parameters may further include the intensity of the ultrasound, which may be in a range from 166.7 mW/cm2 to 416.7 mW/cm2.
Also, the ultrasound parameters may further include a total time of the ultrasound irradiation which may be ten minutes, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto and the total time of the ultrasound irradiation may be shorter or longer than ten minutes.
In addition, the ultrasonic transducer may irradiate the epidermis of the subject with the ultrasound, in contact with the epidermis or at a certain distance from the epidermis. In addition, the ultrasonic transducer may have a shape surrounding the epidermis of the subject in a form of a helmet or a headgear.
Meanwhile, the ultrasound parameters may further include the frequency of the ultrasound which may range from 0.5 MHz to 4.6 MHz.
As an example, the frequency of the ultrasound may be 1 MHz.
Meanwhile, the drug may be Redensyl and a concentration of the Redensyl may range from 0.5% to 1%.
Also, the cells may be the outer root sheath cells.
As an example, as can be seen in
In addition, when the ultrasound of an appropriate intensity, for example, the ultrasound with the pressure of 0.5 MPa and the duty percentage of 2% is applied together with the drug (0.5% to 1% concentration) and the epidermal drug carrier, a significantly higher viability of the cells is observed compared to a result of only applying the drug of the same concentration.
Meanwhile, since description of
Also, as shown in
For reference, Tables 11 to 14 below describe the experimental results as shown in
Meanwhile,
Specifically,
As an example, by referring to
Meanwhile,
As can be seen by referring to
Meanwhile, the ultrasound parameters may further include PRF or PRP. Herein, PRF may range from 1 Hz to 100 Hz and PRP may range from 0.01 second to 1 second.
Meanwhile,
As compared with
Even with naked eye, the difference between before and after the application can be seen in the number of hairs, etc.
The present disclosure has an effect of increasing the viability of the cells in a non-invasive and painless manner by irradiating the cells with the ultrasound.
The present disclosure has another effect of further increasing the viability of the cells by using the drug together with the epidermal drug carrier and the ultrasound compared to a case of only using the drug with a same concentration.
As seen above, the present disclosure has been explained by specific matters such as detailed components, limited embodiments, and drawings. They have been provided only to help more general understanding of the present disclosure. It, however, will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modification may be made from the description without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined in the following claims.
Accordingly, the spirit of the present disclosure must not be confined to the explained embodiments, and the following patent claims as well as everything including variations equal or equivalent to the patent claims pertain to the category of the spirit of the present disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2018-0132628 | Oct 2018 | KR | national |
| 10-2019-0137553 | Oct 2019 | KR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/KR2019/014616 | 10/31/2019 | WO | 00 |
