Assessment of serum and salivary defensin levels in primary Sjögren’s syndrome: a preliminary report

Introduction:
Defensins are described as antimicrobial peptides and innate immunity mediators. Their levels may be an important anti-inflammatory determinant/indicator in autoimmune diseases including Sjögren’s syndrome (SS).

Aim of the research:
The purpose of the study was to assess and compare human -defensin-1 (hBD-1) levels in serum and saliva in patients with SS and healthy subjects.

Material and methods:
The study group was composed of 20 SS patients and 14 healthy subjects (HS). Serum and parotid salivary hBD-1 levels were measured using the ELISA kit. The patients’ health assessment included medical history and physical examination such as Schirmer’s test. For xerostomia assessment all patients completed the visual analogue scale (VAS). Routine laboratory tests in the SS group included measurement of erythrocyte sedimentation rate and detection of antinuclear antibodies.

Results:
There were no statistically significant differences in either serum or salivary hBD-1 levels between HS and SS patients. We observed a statistically significant difference between serum and salivary hBD-1 levels in SS patients but not in the HS group. Neither serum nor salivary concentrations of hBD-1 significantly correlated with the age of SS patients, disease duration, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and xerostomia and dry eye severity.

Conclusions:
Further studies on a larger group of SS patients are needed to assess whether hBD-1 contributes to both SS pathogenesis and course.