Rheumatology Advance Access originally published online on July 2, 2009
Rheumatology 2009 48(9):1102-1106; doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kep149
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cytokine and autoantibody profiling related to histopathological features in primary Sjögren's syndrome
1Broegelmann Research Laboratory, The Gade Institute, 2Institute of Medicine – Section for Rheumatology, University of Bergen and 3Department of Rheumatology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
Correspondence to: Tove R. Reksten, Broegelmann Research Laboratory, The Gade Institute, University of Bergen, Haukelandsveien 28, N-5021 Bergen, Norway. E-mail: tove.reksten{at}gades.uib.no
 |
Abstract |
|---|
Objective. To investigate a potential correlation between circulating cytokine and autoantibody levels and histopathological features in subgroups of patients with primary SS (pSS).
Methods. Minor salivary gland biopsies from a cohort of 141 patients fulfilling the American–European consensus classification criteria for pSS were re-examined and grouped according to focus score (FS) and germinal centre (GC) status; serum samples were analysed for autoantibodies, chemokines and cytokines.
Results. Of the 115 available biopsies, 18 (16%) lacked characteristic focal mononuclear cell infiltrates [FS < 1 (FS–)] but patients were positive for Ro/SSA and/or La/SSB. IL-17, IL-1RA, IL-15, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1
, MIP-1β, eotaxin, IFN- and IL-4 levels were significantly increased in the 27 (23%) patients with ectopic GC formation (GC+) in the salivary glands compared with the GC– patients (n = 70). In addition, minor differences in cytokine levels were found when comparing age groups.
Conclusion. Degenerative changes observed in the minor salivary glands of patients with pSS may represent ‘burned out’ inflammation. The elevated levels of IL-4 found in these patients may influence the reduced salivary flow observed in GC+ patients. Increased titres of Th17-associated cytokines, IL-17, IL-1β and the IL-23 subunit IL-12p40, may indicate a higher activity of these cells in GC+ patients. Differences in cytokine levels may be utilized when sub-grouping the SS patients into disease phases and may consequently have implications for treatment.
KEY WORDS: Adiopocytes, Atrophy, Autoantibodies, Cytokines, Degenerative changes, Fibrosis, Inflammation, Salivary glands
*Tove R. Reksten and Malin V. Jonsson equally contributed to this work.
Submitted 3 February 2009;
revised version accepted 12 May 2009.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?