Discovery of a novel and highly selective JAK3 inhibitor as a potent hair growth promoter

Abstract

JAK-STAT signalling pathway inhibitors have emerged as promising therapeutic agents for the treatment of hair loss. Among different JAK isoforms, JAK3 has become an ideal target for drug discovery because it only regulates a narrow spectrum of γc cytokines. Here, we report the discovery of MJ04, a novel and highly selective 3-pyrimidinylazaindole based JAK3 inhibitor, as a potential hair growth promoter with an IC₅₀ of 2.03 nM. During in vivo efficacy assays, topical application of MJ04 on DHT-challenged AGA and athymic nude mice resulted in early onset of hair regrowth. Furthermore, MJ04 significantly promoted the growth of human hair follicles under ex-vivo conditions. MJ04 exhibited a reasonably good pharmacokinetic profile and demonstrated a favourable safety profile under in vivo and in vitro conditions. Taken together, we report MJ04 as a highly potent and selective JAK3 inhibitor that exhibits overall properties suitable for topical drug development and advancement to human clinical trials.

Keywords: 3-pyrimidinylazaindole; Alopecia areata; Baricitinib; Hair follicles; JAK-STAT signalling; Ritlecitinib; Tofacitinib.