====== Minoxidil ======

//Minoxidil// (currently sold under the brand names of //Rogaine, Loniten, Lonolox, Noxidil, Pilomin, Reten// and more than 100 others) is a widely used medication for the treatment of hair loss.

It was originally developed (1950s) as an oral medication for stomach ulcers - for which it proved ineffective. During trials, it was discovered that the drug had a strong effect in lowering blood pressure, and was later approved as a treatment for[[content:medicine:diseases:g-l:hypertension|hypertension]]. (Because of its wide range of unpleasant side effects, it was normally only used when other medications had failed.)

During its use it was found to induce //hypertrichosis// (excessive hair growth) in many patients. It was subsequently adopted as as a hair growth stimulant in the form of external ointments. Which is now its main medical use.

In this respect, its mechanism of action is currently unknown.

>__The mechanism by which minoxidil, an adenosine-triphosphate-sensitive potassium channel opener, induces hypertrichosis remains to be elucidated. __Minoxidil has been reported to stimulate the production of vascular endothelial growth factor, a possible promoter of hair growth, in cultured dermal papilla cells. The mechanism of production of vascular endothelial growth factor remains unclear, however.
>\\ Source :[[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022202X15415027|Journal of Investigative Dermatology ]]Volume 117, Issue 6,