Lesional alopecia areata T lymphocytes downregulate epithelial cell proliferation

Alopecia areata is characterized by peribulbar infiltration by activated T cells, The function of these T cells in the pathogenesis is unknown. To elucidate the potential role of lesional T cells in the regulation of hair growth, T-cell clones from the margin of involved alopecia areata lesions from three patients were obtained by cloning, using the limiting dilution method, Of these T-cell clones, 31 were CD4(+)CD8(-), 15 were CD8(+)CD4(-) and 2 were CD4(-)CD8(-). The T-cell clones were activated and the supernatant harvested 24 h later and tested for its capacity to regulate proliferation of neonatal keratinocytes, The majority of the T-cell clone supernatants inhibited epithelial cell proliferation in a dose-dependent fashion, When the cytokine profiles of conditioned T-cell medium were compared with the growth-regulatory capacity, it tvas found that T-cell clones that released high amounts of interferon gamma and/or tumour necrosis factor alpha inhibited keratinocyte growth, In conclusion, T cells derived from the margin of active alopecia areata lesions are able to downregulate epithelial cell proliferation, This points to an important role of the immune system, especially the T cells, in this disease.