As we age, collagen vanishes and skin loses its shield, leaving it as fragile as old paper and slow to heal. A team led by chemical and biomolecular engineer Efie Kokkoli has combined two common medications in a hydrogel—a water-based material that can hold and release substances—that could restore skin’s youthful resilience.
The team successfully engineered a hydrogel that remains liquid at room temperature but solidifies at body temperature, enabling a controlled release of the medications. Their results appear in Biomacromolecules.
Here’s how it works:
1. It packs a punch with two powerful ingredients.
The hydrogel works as a “smart” delivery system, carrying two key ingredients: metformin (encased in tiny fat particles called liposomes) and valsartan (in free form). Metformin is commonly used to treat diabetes and has the power to influence aging-related processes at the cellular level. Valsartan, used to treat blood pressure, enhances collagen production. The hydrogel gradually releases these onto the skin.
2. It targets aging cells.
As skin cells age, they enter senescence, meaning that they not only stop dividing but also produce harmful cell-level signals that contribute to aging and inflammation. Metformin works by waking up senescent cells and helping them regain some of their ability to divide and recover from damage.
3. It stimulates the production of collagen.
Collagen keeps skin firm, smooth, and elastic, but as we age, we produce less of this important protein, making skin wrinkle and sag. To combat this, the hydrogel’s valsartan boosts collagen levels— and the more valsartan used, the bigger that boost. Even better, combining it with metformin further strengthened its impact, resulting in a 2.5-fold increase in collagen production over untreated senescent cells.
4. It’s slow good.
The hydrogel’s ability to deliver the two-medication combo slowly is one of its biggest assets. Unlike traditional creams that wash away or wear off, the gel dispenses 28%–35% of its medication during the first 24 hours and the rest gradually, ensuring steady delivery with no need to reapply. Six days into treatment, for example, senescent cells were producing the same amount of collagen as healthy, actively growing cells— proof that the treatment could help improve tissue repair over time.
—LISA ERCOLANO