Department of Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Fırat University, Elazığ, Turkey
Department of Internal Medicine, Aybasti Hospital, Ordu, Turkey
Turk J Med Sci. 2021 Aug 30;51(4):2015-2022. doi: 10.3906/sag-2102-367.
BACKGROUND/AIM: Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease and its pathogenesis is still not completely clear. The wingless (Wnt)/β-catenin pathway has recently been shown to play an important role in inflammation. This study aims to determine the serum and saliva levels of Dickkopf (DKK)1 and sclerostin and to evaluate Wnt-1 and Wnt-3a expression in the salivary gland in patients with primary SS.
This study included 30 patients diagnosed with SS, 30 patients diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and 29 healthy controls. Serum and saliva levels of DKK1 and sclerostin were measured and the expressions of Wnt1 and Wnt3a in the salivary gland were measured immunohistochemically.
Serum DKK1 and sclerostin levels were lower in the SS and SLE groups compared to the control group (both p < 0.001). Saliva DKK1 levels were higher in the SS group compared to the control and SLE groups (p = 0.004 and p = 0.009, respectively). Wnt1 and Wnt3a expression were found in salivary gland tissue samples in 71.4% of primary SS patients and relatively frequent than control group.
Serum DKK1 and sclerostin levels in primary SS and SLE were decreased. Moreover, levels of Wnt1 and Wnt3a expression in the salivary gland were also elevated in primary SS. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Wnt/β-catenin pathway activities may be altered in case of glandular inflammation.
背景/目的：干燥综合征（SS）是一种自身免疫性疾病，其发病机制尚不完全清楚。最近表明，无翅型（Wnt）/β-连环蛋白途径在炎症中起着重要作用。本研究旨在确定原发性 SS 患者血清和唾液中 Dickkopf（DKK）1 和硬骨素的水平，并评估唾液腺中 Wnt-1 和 Wnt-3a 的表达。
本研究纳入了 30 名确诊为 SS 的患者、30 名确诊为系统性红斑狼疮（SLE）的患者和 29 名健康对照者。测量了血清和唾液中 DKK1 和硬骨素的水平，并通过免疫组织化学法测量了唾液腺中 Wnt1 和 Wnt3a 的表达。
SS 和 SLE 组的血清 DKK1 和硬骨素水平均低于对照组（均 p < 0.001）。SS 组的唾液 DKK1 水平高于对照组和 SLE 组（分别为 p = 0.004 和 p = 0.009）。71.4%的原发性 SS 患者的唾液腺组织样本中发现了 Wnt1 和 Wnt3a 的表达，这一比例相对较高，且高于对照组。
原发性 SS 和 SLE 患者的血清 DKK1 和硬骨素水平降低。此外，原发性 SS 患者的唾液腺中 Wnt1 和 Wnt3a 的表达也升高。因此，可以得出结论，在腺体炎症的情况下，Wnt/β-连环蛋白途径的活性可能会发生改变。
