TLDR Alopecia areata can be reversed by JAK inhibitors, promoting hair regrowth.
The study concluded that alopecia areata (AA) was driven by cytotoxic CD8+NKG2D+ T cells and could be reversed by inhibiting Janus kinase (JAK) pathways. Experiments demonstrated that JAK inhibitors, such as ruxolitinib and tofacitinib, effectively restored hair growth in both mouse models and human subjects. In a small clinical trial, three patients treated with oral ruxolitinib achieved near-complete hair regrowth within 3-5 months. These findings suggested that JAK inhibitors could be a promising therapeutic approach for treating AA by targeting specific immune pathways.
421 citations,
April 2012 in “The New England Journal of Medicine” Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune condition causing hair loss with no cure and treatments that often don't work well.
717 citations,
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253 citations,
December 2007 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Hair follicles prevent NK cell attacks to avoid hair loss.
131 citations,
November 1998 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology” Skin grafts on mice can cause an immune response leading to hair loss, useful for studying human hair loss conditions.
178 citations,
June 1994 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Alopecia areata in these mice is inherited, more common in young females, and can be treated with triamcinolone acetonide.
October 2023 in “Acta dermato-venereologica (Print)” People with severe hair loss have lower zinc levels in their blood.
52 citations,
September 2014 in “Nature medicine” JAK inhibitors might help treat alopecia areata.
