scholarly journals Biological Therapy in Primary Sjögren's Syndrome: Effect on Salivary Gland Function and Inflammation

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farzana Chowdhury ◽  
Anwar Tappuni ◽  
Michele Bombardieri
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Salivary Gland ◽  
Biological Therapy ◽  
Sjogren’S Syndrome ◽  
Sjogren's Syndrome ◽  
Primary Sjögren’S Syndrome ◽  
Primary Sjogren’S Syndrome ◽  
Primary Sjögren's Syndrome ◽  
Salivary Gland Function ◽  
Gland Function

Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a chronic, systemic autoimmune disease. It is the second most common rheumatic autoimmune disorder, affecting 0.7% of European Americans and up to 1% of people globally. pSS is characterized by the impaired secretory function of exocrine glands, including salivary and lachrymal glands. A lymphocytic infiltration of these organs leads to the common and debilitating symptoms of oral and ocular dryness, majorly affecting the quality of life of these patients. Currently, no disease-modifying drug has been approved for the treatment of pSS, with therapies largely aimed at relieving symptoms of dry mouth and dry eyes. In particular, management of oral dryness still represents a major unmet clinical need in pSS and a significant burden for patients with this condition. Recently, several randomized clinical trials in pSS with biological therapies targeting specific mechanistic pathways implicated in the disease pathogenesis, including B-cell hyperactivity, T-cell co-stimulation and the aberrant role of cytokines, have been completed with mixed results. In this review, we summarize evidence from recent clinical trials investigating biological therapy in pSS, specifically highlighting efficacy, or lack thereof, in modulating local inflammation and improving salivary gland function.

scholarly journals Aquaporin gene therapy corrects Sjögren’s syndrome phenotype in mice

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (20) ◽  
pp. 5694-5699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhennan Lai ◽  
Hongen Yin ◽  
Javier Cabrera-Pérez ◽  
Maria C. Guimaro ◽  
Sandra Afione ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salivary Gland ◽  
Sjögren’S Syndrome ◽  
Sjögren's Syndrome ◽  
Sjogren’S Syndrome ◽  
Sjogren's Syndrome ◽  
Primary Sjögren’S Syndrome ◽  
Primary Sjogren’S Syndrome ◽  
Primary Sjögren's Syndrome ◽  
Gland Function ◽  
Sjögren‘S Syndrome

Primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) is a chronic autoimmune disease that is estimated to affect 35 million people worldwide. Currently, no effective treatments exist for Sjögren’s syndrome, and there is a limited understanding of the physiological mechanisms associated with xerostomia and hyposalivation. The present work revealed that aquaporin 5 expression, a water channel critical for salivary gland fluid secretion, is regulated by bone morphogenetic protein 6. Increased expression of this cytokine is strongly associated with the most common symptom of primary Sjögren’s syndrome, the loss of salivary gland function. This finding led us to develop a therapy in the treatment of Sjögren’s syndrome by increasing the water permeability of the gland to restore saliva flow. Our study demonstrates that the targeted increase of gland permeability not only resulted in the restoration of secretory gland function but also resolved the hallmark salivary gland inflammation and systemic inflammation associated with disease. Secretory function also increased in the lacrimal gland, suggesting this local therapy could treat the systemic symptoms associated with primary Sjögren’s syndrome.

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