Background/Purpose: S100A7/psoriasin, a 11.4kDa protein belonging to the S100A family of Ca2+-binding proteins, is known to exhibit an antimicrobial activity at skin level, but has also been implicated in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, invasion and metastasis. By using a proteomic approach, S100A7/psoriasin has been recently identified in the whole saliva of patients with Systemic Sclerosis as a potential disease biomarker. The aims of the present study were (1) to compare the expression of salivary S100A7/psoriasin in patients with Sjögren’s Syndrome associated to anti-centromere antibodies (ACA) positive Systemic Sclerosis (SS-SSc), versus patients with primary Sjögren’s Syndrome (pSS), and (2) to explore any correlation between salivary S100A7/psoriasin and oral damage.

Methods:

Unselected pSS and SS-SSc patients (AECG 2002) were consecutively recruited in the study. Unstimulated salivary flow (USF) rate were measured according to the sialometry protocol, and saliva samples were collected on ice, centrifuged and stored at -80°C. S100A7/psoriasin levels were determined by CircuLex S100A7/psoriasin ELISA kit (MBL International Corporation), according to manufacturer’s instructions. All subjects had a standardized evaluation for pSS which included oral and ophthalmologic examinations, laboratory testing and a rheumatologic evaluation.

Results: Eighteen SS-SSc and 33 pSS female patients were included in the study. SS-SSc patients had a mean age ± standard deviation (SD) of 65.6 ± 11.3, which did not differ from that of pSS (59.8 ± 11.3). S100A7/psoriasin levels were significantly higher in SS-SSc subjects (p=0.02). S100A7/psoriasin salivary levels negatively correlated with the USF rate (r=-0.27, p<0.05), particularly in pSS subjects (r=-0.508, p=0.003), and were significantly higher in patients with a USF <1.5 ml/15 minutes (p=0.006). Regarding the relationship between S100A7/psoriasin and patients’ oral damage, we found that the salivary expression of the protein was significantly associated with the Sjögren’s Syndrome disease damage index (SSDDI) (p<0,05) and specifically with the complete loss of teeth (p=0.02).

Conclusion: Salivary S100A7/psoriasin might be useful in differentiating pSS from SS-SSc  and seems to be able to reflect oral damage in both pSS and SS overlapping disorders. The potentially predictive value of this biomarker for oral damage accrual in SS calls for further studies.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/salivary-expression-of-s100a7psoriasin-and-oral-damage-in-primary-sjogrens-syndrome-and-overlapping-disorders/