Small Molecule Inhibitors and Inflammatory Skin Diseases

Inflammatory skin diseases (ISDs) were linked to the production of disease-relevant cytokines via the JAK-STAT pathway, which was crucial for various cytokines and growth factors. Targeting this pathway gained significant attention, leading to the development of new drugs to inhibit JAK and STAT molecules. Although only a few JAK inhibitors were FDA approved, others were in development. Notably, oral JAK1/JAK2 inhibitors like ruxolitinib and baricitinib induced hair regrowth in Alopecia areata patients, and the JAK1/JAK3 inhibitor tofacitinib showed significant improvement in psoriasis. This approach offered an alternative to neutralizing single cytokines with antibodies.