Topical JAK inhibitors effective against atopic dermatitis

A recent systematic analysis reveals that topical JAK inhibitors (JAKi) are both effective and safe for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) in pediatric and adult populations. The dysregulation of both the innate and adaptive immune systems has a significant impact on AD, and JAKi has been proven to reduce the production of cytokines that produce inflammation in the form of AD. The findings of this study were published in Experimental Dermatology.

The most prevalent inflammatory skin disorder is atopic dermatitis. The pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease is heavily influenced by dysregulation of the innate and adaptive immune systems. Janus Kinase Inhibitors limit the generation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and are a possible new therapy for Alzheimer's disease. As a result, Sara Sadeghi and colleagues undertook this study to evaluate and describe the overall effectiveness and safety of topical JAKi in the treatment of AD in adults and children.

Until June 14, 2022, a broad search was conducted on Ovid Embase, Ovid Medline, Web of Sciences, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Following screening, 19 studies were selected for final evaluation. The present systematic review was carried out in accordance with PRISMA, and the protocol was entered into PROSPERO.

The key findings of this study were:

Topical delgocitinib, cerdulatinib, ruxolitinib, tofacitinib, and ifidancitinib are useful in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and considerably improve EASI, IGA, pruritus-NRS score, and other indicators in adults. 

Furthermore, topical delgocitinib was found to be highly effective in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease in children. 

All topical JAKi had a low probability of mild-to-moderate side effects.

Overall, the study determined that topical JAKi showed high effectiveness and safety in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, while they emphasized that further study with a longer duration and head-to-head comparison studies may be required to discover which ones exhibit the least unwanted effects. The researchers went on to say that while topical JAKi therapies are new, further study is needed to examine their safety and efficacy in a range of skin diseases, particularly in younger populations. This is due, in part, to the fact that pediatric patients are among the most severely affected by Alzheimer's disease.

Reference: 

Sadeghi, S., & Mohandesi, N. A. (2023). Efficacy and Safety of Topical JAK inhibitors in the Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis in Pediatrics and Adults: A Systematic Review. In Experimental Dermatology. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1111/exd.14753