Selective Changes in Lymphocytic Differentiation Antigens in the Peripheral Blood of Patients with Alopecia Areata Treated with Oral Zinc

The study investigated the effects of oral zinc treatment on lymphocyte subpopulations in patients with alopecia areata (AA). It was found that hair regrowth in AA was linked to the normalization of the CD4+/CD8+ ratio, which was typically imbalanced with increased CD4+ and decreased CD8+ cells. Zinc, known as a polyclonal T-cell activator, was shown to significantly increase levels of CD3+, CD8+, CD19+, HLA-DQ+, HLA-DR+, and Leu 2a+8+ cells in the peripheral blood during treatment. The researchers concluded that zinc's effectiveness in treating AA might be due to its role in immunomodulation, particularly by increasing CD8+ cells.