Alterations of plasmacytoid dendritic cells in peripheral blood of patients with primary Sjögren′s syndrome and their significance

Abstract

Objective To investigate the alterations of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) in patients with primary Sjogren′s syndrome (pSS) and their significance. Methods Peripheral blood samples were collected from 39 patients with pSS and 15 healthy subjects. The percentages of pDC (Lin-CD123+ HLA-DR+ ) in peripheral blood samples were analyzed by flow cytometry. The levels of IFN-α, TNF-α and IL-6 in serum samples were detected by ELISA. Results The percentages of pDC in patients with pSS were lower than those in healthy subjects (P<0.05). Higher levels of pDC were detected in patients positive for anti-Sjogren syndrome antigen A (anti-SSA) antibody as compared with those in patients negative for anti-SSA antibody. The levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in serum samples from patients with pSS were higher than those in healthy subjects. Conclusion Patients with pSS showed decreased percentages of pDC population, but increased levels of TNF-α and IL-6. The changes of pDC population, TNF-α and IL-6 in peripheral blood might play active roles in the pathogenesis of pSS. Key words: Primary Sjogren′s syndrome; Plasmacytoid dendritic cells; TNF-α; IFN-α; IL-6