u/Alternative-Area-473

Minoxidil is a prodrug.
Before you apply minoxidil, make sure you get tested for any underlying inflammation. Else you waste lot of time and effort. if there’s underlying inflammation the enzyme active gets affected. MINOXIDIL has to be converted inside the follicle by sulfotransferase enzymes (SULT1A1) to actually work.
The inflammation downregulates enzyme efficiency SULT1A1 is sensitive to cellular stress. When oxidative stress is high, enzyme activity drops. So less minoxidil gets converted to minoxidil sulfate. Altered cellular metabolism inside keratinocytes and dermal papilla cells alters cellular energy state that defuncts the enzymatic SULT1A1 activity.