TLDR Alopecia areata in these mice is inherited, more common in young females, and can be treated with triamcinolone acetonide.
Alopecia areata in C3H/HeJ mice, resembling human alopecia areata, was characterized by non-scarring hair loss with mononuclear cell infiltration around anagen follicles, primarily involving CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. Triamcinolone acetonide injections reduced the infiltrate and promoted hair regrowth. The disease appeared to be inherited and polygenic, with a higher incidence in females at younger ages. The incidence in a production colony was 0.25% for females and 0.035% for males, but selective breeding increased it to nearly 20%. In an aging colony bred for inflammatory bowel disease, the incidence was 4.7% for mice over 18 months, suggesting it might be a common aging change in this strain. This model could be valuable for studying human alopecia areata subtypes.
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.
14 citations,
January 1985 in “International Journal of Dermatology” The cause of alopecia areata was unknown, and while various treatments existed, no best treatment was agreed upon.
122 citations,
November 1984 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” No single treatment is consistently effective for alopecia areata, and more research is needed.
6 citations,
March 2019 in “JAAD case reports” A new mix of anthralin and calcipotriene might help treat severe hair loss.
148 citations,
December 2018 in “Journal of autoimmunity” Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease causing patchy hair loss, often with other autoimmune disorders, but its exact causes are unknown.
4 citations,
November 2018 in “JAAD case reports” Alopecia areata can sometimes appear as a straight line of hair loss instead of round patches.
May 2018 in “Journal of cosmetology & trichology” Combining platelet-rich plasma therapy with prostaglandin-F eye drops can significantly regrow hair in alopecia universalis.
