Unraveling the mysteries of Sjogren's syndrome

Sjogren's Syndrome (SS) is characterized by lymphocytic infiltration, destruction and dysfunction of the lacrimal and salivary glands and the presence of serum autoantibodies. Although, approximately 0.5% of the population suffers from SS, there is a female predominance of 9:1 compared with males. Most women with SS are postmenopausal; however, not all women who are post-menopausal develop SS. Therefore, we postulate that a decrease in the circulating levels of hormones creates an environment favorable to the development of SS in a predisposed genetic background. In order to carry out our studies, we used the NOD.B10.H2b mouse model of SS, and ovariectomized (OVX) them as a model for the post-menopausal condition. We removed the lacrimal glands and measured the gene expression and protein levels of several cytokines and chemokines known to be upregulated in patients with SS such as : lL-1B, IL-10, INF-y, TNFa, CCL9 and CXCL13.