Abstract
Purpose: :
We have previously reported that mouse kallikrein (Klk) 22 in the lacrimal and salivary glands is an autoantigen that can induce primary Sjogren Syndrome (SS) in rats. In this study, we want to determine whether the production of antibodies (Ab) against tissue Klk is specific for SS and whether the Ab can be used as a biomarker for the diagnosis in humans.
Methods: :
Sera from 11 patients diagnosed with SS, 8 patients with dry eye disease (DED) and 8 normal (NL) age/sex matched controls were collected for detecting Abs against tissue Klk 1, 11, 12, and 13 by captured ELISA.
Results: :
Anti-Klk11 Ab was significantly higher in SS than those in DED (P<0.05), and NL (P<0.01), with no difference in the level of this antibody between the DED and NL groups. In addition, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that; at or above a cut-off point of optical density (OD) = 0.2695 for anti-Klk11 Ab has a sensitivity of 82% and a specificity of 94% to distinguish SS from the other groups.
Conclusions: :
Like anti-SSB Ab which has been used as a standard index for diagnosis of SS, anti-Klk11 Ab might also be used as a novel biomarker for SS patients. The exact role of this protein in the pathogenesis of SS requires further investigation.
Keywords: cornea: tears/tear film/dry eye • cornea: basic science • enzymes/enzyme inhibitors