Nanoparticle Adjuvants Incorporating Haptens Drive Potent Immune Tolerance to Accelerate Hair Regrowth

This study addresses alopecia areata (AA), an autoimmune condition causing hair loss, by introducing a novel nanoparticle (NP) system that co-delivers diphenylcyclopropenone (DPCP) and rapamycin (RAPA) prodrugs. These NPs are designed to induce immune tolerance and promote hair regeneration. The research demonstrated that the coassembled NPs were stable, efficiently taken up by antigen-presenting cells, and induced dendritic cells to differentiate into tolerogenic phenotypes in vitro. In vivo studies using a mouse model of alopecia showed that these NPs significantly accelerated the transition of hair follicles from the telogen phase to the anagen phase, thereby promoting hair regrowth. This approach offers a promising therapeutic strategy for AA and provides insights into treating autoimmune diseases with unclear autoantigens.