Alteration of serum and tissue tumor necrosis factor alpha levels: A possible mechanism of action of oral pulse steroids in the treatment of alopecia areata

BACKGROUND: Alopecia areata (AA) is a multifactorial disease in which tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) plays an important role. OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of oral pulse steroids on both serum and tissue levels of TNF-α in AA patients. METHODS: Skin biopsies and serum samples were collected from 20 patients with patchy AA before and after treatment (oral prednisolone for two consecutive days every week for 3 months) for determination of the levels of TNF-α levels using ELISA technique. RESULTS: Both serum and tissue levels of TNF-α in AA patients were significantly higher than in controls before (P < 0.001) as well as after treatment (P = 0.0169 and P = 0.3051), respectively. The duration of disease negatively correlated with tissue TNF-α before treatment (P < 0.0001). Serum and tissue levels of TNF-α dropped significantly after treatment (P < 0.0001). The percentage of reduction of both tissue and serum TNF-α levels correlated positively with the percentage of clinical improvement (r = 0.682, P = 0.0009; r = 0.567, P = 0.009, respectively). CONCLUSION: TNF-α plays an important role in the evolution of AA lesions, and alteration in both serum and tissue levels of TNF-α could be considered one of the important mechanisms of action of systemic oral pulse steroids in the treatment of AA.