Saliva as a potential tool for diagnosis of dry mouth including Sjogren's syndrome

干燥综合征(SS)患者外周血中Th1、Th2细胞因子水平明显高于正常对照组。此外，Th2细胞因子与SS患者唾液腺中淋巴细胞的大量聚集密切相关，而Th1和Th17细胞因子则呈负相关。分泌型免疫球蛋白A(SIgA)水平在所有患者组和对照组之间没有显著差异。XND患者唾液中嗜铬粒蛋白A(CgA)水平明显高于对照组，提示唾液中细胞因子、CgA和SIgA的检测可能有助于口干症的诊断和病情的判断。

Th1 and Th2 cytokines from Sjogren's syndrome (SS) patients were significantly higher than controls. Furthermore, Th2 cytokines were closely associated with strong lymphocytic accumulation in salivary glands from SS patients, while Th1 and Th17 cytokines were negatively associated. Secretory IgA (SIgA) levels were not significantly different between all patient groups and controls. Chromogranin A (CgA) levels from XND patients were significantly higher than controls.These results suggest that the measurement of cytokines, CgA, and SIgA in saliva might be useful for the diagnosis of xerostomia and also to reveal disease status.