Lupus sialadenitis: analysis of salivary metabolites and its possible relationship with peculiar aspects of salivary gland morphology

• Grant number: 19/12702-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2019
• End date: September 30, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry
• Principal Investigator: Silvia Vanessa Lourenço
• Grantee: Felippe Pereira Barone
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia (FO). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Lupus erythematosus (LE) is an autoimmune disease that affects multiple organs. It can affect the oral mucosa and around 75% of the patients report subjective sensation of dry mouth (xerostomia). Our research group has demonstrated in multiple studies that xerostomia in LE is related to a type of manifestation specific of the disease - the lupus sialadenitis - which includes morphological patterns such as thickening of the ductal basal membrane, cell death, among others. These changes are the result of an autoimmune reaction combined with a possible metabolic alteration involving the cellular energy production pathways. With the hypothesis that oxidative stress and energetic dysregulation might be associated with morphological patterns that characterize the disease, we inquire: is the characterization of a salivary metabolic pattern through metabolomics in patients diagnosed with LE correlated to the morphologic alterations in salivary glands and if it may be used as a biomarker of the disease? This question will be answered through comparative analysis of the metabolites in the saliva of 20 patients with LE and of 20 healthy individuals. The results will be analyzed in association with the morphological changes in the salivary glands of LE patients for a possible identification of salivary biomarkers.