We investigated the relationship between clinical symptoms and the grade of histopathological damage and expression of adhesion molecules in salivary glands of patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS).
We studied untreated and recently diagnosed patients with primary (n =20) and secondary SS [10 with SS and rheumatoid arthritis (RA); 10 with SS and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)] and 3 healthy controls. Salivary gland biopsies were performed in patients and controls and clinical data were obtained. Salivary gland biopsies were assessed for lymphocyte focus score and expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and E-selectin. In serum, antinuclear antibodies, rheumatoid factor, anti-Ro and anti-La antibodies, anti-alpha-fodrin IgA and IgG antibodies, and gamma-globulin concentrations were measured.
In salivary gland samples, ICAM-1 was expressed on vascular endothelial cells and lymphocyte foci, while VCAM-1 was expressed on vascular endothelial cells and follicular dendritic reticulin cells. There was a positive correlation between lymphocyte focus score and ICAM-1 expression (p < 0.05). We detected correlation between expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1, and the expression of VCAM-1 was significantly related to vasculitis (p < 0.05). The areas of E-selectin expression and the dispersion and severity of staining were not correlated with the focus score or with patients' clinical features (p > 0.05). There was no correlation between the staining and autoantibody positivity and gamma-globulin levels.
ICAM-1 may be important for lymphocyte recruitment and glandular damage and VCAM-1 may be important for the development of vasculitis in patients with SS.