Sulphasalazine is a recognised second-line agent in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The aim of this study was to determine if it might prove useful in the treatment of Sjögren's syndrome.
The trial was performed in NZB/NZW F1 hybrid mice and efficacy was assessed on the basis of a reduction in the lymphocytic infiltration of the submandibular salivary and lacrimal glands. The animals were divided into three groups; the control group remained untreated, the second group received the drug from 14-42 weeks and the third group received sulphasalazine from 26-42 weeks. At four-weekly intervals throughout the study, five animals in each group were killed using ether and the glands assessed for lymphocytic infiltration using a modified focus scoring technique with light microscopy.
No significant reduction in the lymphocytic infiltration occurred consistently throughout the trials with sulphasalazine.
Sulphasalazine did not significantly alter the development of Sjögren's disease in NZB/NZW F1 mice.