Scarring Alopecia Is Driven by the Collapse of EGFR-Protected JAK-STAT1-Sensitive Stem Cell Immune Privilege

November 2023 in “ The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology ”

Karin Strobl, Jörg Klufa, R. Jin, L. Artner-Gent, Dana Krauß, P. Novoszel, Johanna Strobl, Georg Stary, Igor Vujic, J. Griss, Martin Holcmann, M. Farlik, Bernhard Homey, Maria Sibilia, Thomas Bauer

scarring alopecia EGFR inhibitors JAK-STAT1 signaling immune privilege hair follicle stem cells JAK1/2 inhibition STAT1 pathway folliculitis decalvans Baricitinib epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 signaling JAK inhibitors

TLDR Cancer treatment drugs can cause permanent hair loss by damaging hair follicle stem cells, but a specific inhibitor might reverse this effect.

Long-term treatment with EGFR inhibitors can lead to inflammatory scarring alopecia by causing hyper-activation of JAK-STAT1 signaling, which collapses the immune privilege of hair follicle stem cells. A mouse model with hair follicle-specific deletion of EGFR showed that therapeutic inhibition of JAK1/2 can restore immune privilege and stimulate hair growth. Translational studies confirmed STAT1 pathway activation in patients treated with EGFR inhibitors and those with certain types of alopecia. A case study demonstrated successful treatment of folliculitis decalvans with the JAK1/2 inhibitor Baricitinib, suggesting potential therapeutic strategies for scarring alopecia linked to EGFR-inhibitor therapy.

View this study on jidonline.org →