Department of Rheumatology and Physical Medicine, Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels 1070, Belgium.
Laboratory of Pathophysiological and Nutritional Biochemistry, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels 1070, Belgium.
Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Oct 30;19(11):3392. doi: 10.3390/ijms19113392.
Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of salivary and lacrimal glands resulting in diminished production of saliva and tears. The pathophysiology of SS has not yet been fully deciphered. Classically it has been postulated that sicca symptoms in SS patients are a double step process whereby lymphocytic infiltration of lacrimal and salivary glands (SG) is followed by epithelial cell destruction resulting in keratoconjunctivitis sicca and xerostomia. Recent advances in the field of the pathophysiology of SS have brought in new players, such as aquaporins (AQPs) and anti AQPs autoantibodies that could explain underlying mechanistic processes and unveil new pathophysiological pathways offering a deeper understanding of the disease. In this review, we delineate the link between the AQP and SS, focusing on salivary glands, and discuss the role of AQPs in the treatment of SS-induced xerostomia.
干燥综合征（SS）是一种慢性自身免疫性疾病，其特征是唾液腺和泪腺的淋巴细胞浸润，导致唾液和眼泪分泌减少。SS 的病理生理学尚未完全阐明。经典理论认为，SS 患者的干燥症状是一个双步骤过程，即泪腺和唾液腺（SG）的淋巴细胞浸润，随后上皮细胞破坏，导致干眼症和口干。SS 病理生理学领域的最新进展带来了新的参与者，如水通道蛋白（AQP）和抗 AQP 自身抗体，它们可以解释潜在的机制过程，并揭示新的病理生理途径，从而更深入地了解该疾病。在这篇综述中，我们阐述了 AQP 与 SS 之间的联系，重点是唾液腺，并讨论了 AQP 在治疗 SS 引起的口干症中的作用。
