Sjogren's Syndrome: salivary metabolomics in patients before and after the climacterium

• Grant number: 19/06948-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2019
• End date: June 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry
• Principal Investigator: Silvia Vanessa Lourenço
• Grantee: Giovana Improta Andretta Alpert
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia (FO). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Primary Sjögren's syndrome (SSp) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease of slow progression affecting the exocrine salivary and lacrimal glands. Its main manifestation is the sicca syndrome, which is characterized by the decrease of the salivary and lacrimal secretions leading to the symptoms of xerophthalmia and xerostomia. The disease affects 0.5% of the world population, being more prevalent among women, in the proportion of 9 women for each man. The triggering mechanism of the disease has not yet been fully defined, as well as the reason for the higher prevalence of the disease in women, especially near menarche and climacterium. Hormonal secretion is responsible for the mediation of several metabolic processes, including immunological processes, which may have their function or differentiation directly affected, leading to the disruption of immune homeostasis and culminating in the development of autoimmune disorders. Thus, this study aims to characterize and compare the hormonal metabolism in the saliva of women with Sjögren's syndrome and women who do not present the disease in the pre and postmenopausal periods, with the hypothesis that the hormonal levels might affect the salivary gland metabolism.