Possible Involvement of Skin-Resident Memory T Cells in Refractory Chronic Alopecia Areata

    January 2026 in “ Experimental Dermatology ”
    Reiko Kageyama, T. Ito, Kazuo Kurihara, Toshiharu Fujiyama, Tetsuya Honda
    TLDR Skin-resident memory T cells may contribute to chronic alopecia areata and baricitinib could be a potential treatment.
    This study examines the involvement of skin-resident memory T (TRM) cells in refractory chronic alopecia areata (AA) by analyzing skin samples from 9 chronic and 5 acute AA patients. It reveals that chronic AA lesions have a higher presence of CD8+CD103+ and CD69+CD103+ TRM cells, which may contribute to the chronicity and treatment resistance of AA. Additionally, treatment-resistant cases show more FABP4+CD103+ T cells, which use fatty acids for survival. Baricitinib, a JAK1/2 inhibitor, was effective in reducing TRM cell infiltration and improving hair regrowth in a patient with intractable AA, suggesting its potential as a treatment. However, the findings are based on a single case, indicating the need for further research with a larger sample size.
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