Adjuvant therapy with topical silymarin nanomicelles attenuates skin and hair depigmentation in a C57/BL6 mouse model of vitiligo

Nanomedicine holds great promise for delivering drugs to the skin. In this study, we explored the use of silymarin, a natural extract from Silybum marianum seeds, encapsulated in a micellar structure for topical treatment of vitiligo. The nanomicelles were characterized using dynamic light scattering (DLS). A C57/BL6 mouse model with vitiligo was utilized, and the depigmented skin area was topically treated with either silymarin nanomicelles or clobetasol for four consecutive weeks. Skin samples were collected for histopathological analysis and gene expression PCR analysis, while liver tissues were assessed for lipid peroxidation. DLS analysis revealed that more than 90% of the nanomicelles had a diameter below 30 nm and exhibited a narrow distribution. The in vivo study demonstrated that the nanomicellar form of silymarin was highly effective in suppressing vitiligo compared to clobetasol. Histopathological investigations indicated significant activation of melanocytes and reduced inflammation following treatment with silymarin nanomicelles. Moreover, lipid peroxidation analysis confirmed the antioxidant role of silymarin nanomicelles in scavenging reactive oxygen species. The downregulation of MITF, TRP1, and TRP2 expression following silymarin nanomicelle therapy was also found to be significant. Overall, the study demonstrated significant improvement of the depigmented skin patches, reduced skin inflammation, and downregulation of key genes involved in vitiligo, suggesting that silymarin nanomicelles hold promise as a viable therapeutic option for treating depigmented skin.