JAK-STAT Targeted Therapy for Autoimmune Diseases

The JAK-STAT signaling proteins (Janus kinase–signal transducers and activators of transcription) are a group of intracellular kinase molecules that play a critical role in signaling pathways induced by growth factors and cytokines/chemokines associated with dermatologic and systemic autoimmune diseases. Here we discuss the role of the JAK-STAT kinase cascades in the inflammatory-proliferative processes of autoimmune disease and progress in the development of oral synthetic JAK inhibitors (JAKi) and their therapeutic efficacies in dermatologic and systemic autoimmune diseases. In addition to the first generation JAK inhibitors, several new-generation JAKi are currently being evaluated for their therapeutic potential in the treatment of spondyloarthritis (SpA), with a particular focus on psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and its dermatologic manifestations, atopic dermatitis (AD), alopecia areata (AA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It is expected that these JAKi are likely to have a higher potency and lesser adverse effects as compared to their predecessors. Here we provide an updated review on the significance of JAK-STAT signaling proteins in psoriatic disease along with its associated spondyloarthritis (SpA) conditions, and the efficacy of JAKi in certain autoimmune skin conditions.