Histatine levels in sjögren syndrome

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a slowly progressing, chronic, systemic, autoimmune disease characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of exocrine glands of unknown cause. It causes dry mouth and eyes. Two forms of SS have been defined as primary and secondary. It is called primary sjögren syndrome (PSS) if not together with other connective tissue diseases, and secondary sjögren syndrome (SSS) in combination. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, autoimmune, connective tissue disease of unknown etiology, together with immunological disorders, involving many organs and systems. Histatins are endogenous antimicrobial peptides secreted from the parotid and submandibular glands. Histatins 1, 3 and 5 are the most abundant histatins in saliva. Besides its antimicrobial effects, it also has effects on wound healing, migration of epithelial cells and angiogenesis. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate histatin 1, 3 and 5 levels in serum and saliva in SS. Thirty-seven PSS, 35 SLE patients and 40 healthy controls were included in the study. Histatin 1, 3 and 5 levels in fasting blood and saliva samples were determined by ELISA method. Data were evaluated using the appropriate statistical analysis and p <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Histatin 1, 3, and 5 levels in serum samples were statistically significantly lower in the PSS group than in the control group (p <0.001 for each). Histatin 1 and histatin 3 levels in saliva samples were statistically significantly lower in the PSS group compared to the control group (p <0.03, p <0.014, respectively), but there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of histatin 5 levels (p <0.059) . The findings we obtained in our study show that serum and saliva histatin levels decrease in patients with PSS and SLE. It was concluded that more versatile studies should be conducted in larger patient groups on the role of histatins in the pathogenesis of PSS and whether they can be used as diagnostic markers. Keywords: Sjögren's syndrome, Systemic lupus erythematosus, Histatin 1, Histatin 3, Histatin 5