Sialic acid residues in the labial salivary glands from Sjögren's syndrome patients

• Published in: Clinical and experimental rheumatology Vol. 17; no. 6; pp. 713 - 717
• Main Authors: PENALOZA, A, DECAESTECKER, C, RIBAÏ, P, NAGY, N, SALMON, I, APPELBOOM, T, DANGUY, A, KISS, R, STEINFELD, S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pisa Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology 01-11-1999
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Glycoconjugates - metabolism; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Lectins - metabolism; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; N-Acetylneuraminic Acid - analysis; N-Acetylneuraminic Acid - metabolism; Salivary Glands, Minor - chemistry; Salivary Glands, Minor - metabolism; Salivary Glands, Minor - pathology; Sarcoidosis. Granulomatous diseases of unproved etiology. Connective tissue diseases. Elastic tissue diseases. Vasculitis; Sjogren's Syndrome - metabolism; Sjogren's Syndrome - pathology; Human; Immunopathology; Lectin; Sialic acid; Stomatology; Autoimmune disease; Exploration; Salivary gland; Sjögren syndrome; Eye disease; Systemic disease; Histochemistry; Quantitative analysis
• ISSN: 0392-856X

To investigate the composition and expression of sialic acid in the labial salivary glands (LSG) in Sjögren's syndrome (SS).
LSG of 19 patients with primary SS (n = 11) or secondary SS (n = 8) were studied. Specimens from 7 healthy women served as controls. Computer-assisted microscopy was employed to quantitatively determine the percentage of positive structures, the staining intensity and the heterogeneity for the 4 biotinylated plant lectins Tritricum vulgaris L. (WGA), Maackia amurensis (MAA), Sambucus nigra (SNA) and Canavalia ensiformis L. (Con A).
In the acini there was a significant decrease in the staining heterogeneity of WGA in SS compared to controls; the same was observed with respect to MAA staining in the connective tissue and extralobular ducts. In the intralobular ducts, primary SS differed from normal and secondary SS mainly in terms of a decrease in the percentage of positively labeled MAA tissue. In addition, Con A stained acinar cells were significantly more numerous in secondary SS compared with primary SS.
Differences in the degree of glycoconjugate sialylation were found in SS labial salivary glands, and may play a role in the disease process.