Pharmacologic Inhibition of JAK-STAT Signaling Promotes Hair Growth

October 2015 in “ Science Advances ”

Sivan Harel, Claire A. Higgins, Jane E. Cerise, Zhijun Dai, James C. Chen, Raphael Clynes, Angela M. Christiano

JAK-STAT signaling JAK inhibitors tofacitinib ruxolitinib anagen phase hair follicles TGFB pathway BMP pathway JAK-STAT pathway Xeljanz Jakafi

TLDR Blocking JAK-STAT signaling can lead to hair growth.

The study from October 2, 2015, found that pharmacologic inhibition of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway promotes hair growth by inducing the anagen phase in hair follicles. Using topical treatments with JAK inhibitors like tofacitinib and ruxolitinib led to rapid hair growth in mouse and human skin. The study showed that JAK inhibition up-regulates genes associated with hair follicle inductivity and growth, such as those in the TGFB and BMP pathways. The effects were independent of lymphocyte activity, suggesting a direct action on hair follicles. The research involved experiments on mice and human hair follicle assays, but the number of subjects used in the experiments is not provided in the summary. The findings suggest potential new treatments for hair loss conditions by targeting the JAK-STAT pathway.

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