Differential expression of CXCL1, CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL12 chemokines in alopecia areata.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Alopecia Areata (AA) is a non-scarring, autoimmune disorder which causes hair loss. Inflammatory reactions are involved in hair loss of the scalp and/or body. The involvement of chemokine receptors in the pathogenesis of AA is well defined among which, CXCL1 acts on neutrophils and CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL12 serve as T lymphocytes recruiters. OBJECTIVE: To study the serum levels of ELR+ and ELR- CXCL1, CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL12 in the patients suffering from AA and healthy controls. METHODS: The study population consisted of 30 patients suffering from AA and 30 healthy controls. Serum concentrations of CXCL1, CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL12 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Current results showed that AA patients had significantly elevated serum levels of CXCL9 and CXCL10 in comparison to controls (p<0.001). These results also demonstrated that serum levels of CXCL1 and CXCL12 were significantly decreased in AA patients compared to control (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: CXCL9 and CXCL10 are elevated in the AA patients and may be involved in the recruitment of T lymphocytes to the inflamed tissues. Moreover, due to the significant role played by these chemokines in angiogenesis/angiostatis phenomenon they could be considered as useful biomarkers in AA diagnosis and therapy.