Researchers reveal mechanisms underlying Sjögren's disease (Olumiant helps)

Medical Xpress / New York University / Science Translational Medicine / Function ^ | Dec. 18, 2024 | Yin-Hu Wang et al / Ga-Yeon Son et al

[ConservativeMind]

Researchers are closer to understanding what drives the autoimmune disorder Sjögren's disease.

Their study finds that impaired regulatory T cells are a critical contributing factor to Sjögren's disease in both mice and humans, and identifies an existing rheumatology drug as a promising therapy.

In Sjögren's disease, the immune system attacks the glands that produce saliva and tears, resulting in dry mouth and eyes.

While there is no cure for Sjögren's disease, some treatments alleviate symptoms.

Feske and Lacruz undertook two studies focusing on different tissues—salivary gland cells and immune cells. They specifically looked at cells lacking the Stim1 and Stim2 genes.

The researchers studied mice without the Stim1 and Stim2 genes in salivary gland cells, which leads to a lack of a calcium uptake into these cells.

They found that these mice had lower saliva production, which was a result of reduced calcium levels and signaling. However, the mice did not have salivary gland inflammation or increased levels of autoantibodies characteristic of Sjögren's disease in humans, suggesting that the loss of calcium signaling in salivary gland cells might actually suppress inflammatory responses rather than rendering these mice susceptible to inflammation and autoantibodies.

A likely culprit causing Sjögren's disease symptoms in mice: interferon gamma.

"It came down to a defect in regulatory T cells and an overactivation of the cells that produce an inflammatory cytokine called interferon gamma," said Feske.

When the researchers gave mice baricitinib, it suppressed salivary gland dysfunction and inflammation. Given the success of the drug in mice with Sjögren's symptoms, both in this study and others, the researchers think that baricitinib could be a candidate for treating Sjögren's disease.

Using single-cell RNA sequencing to study white blood cells, they found a strong correlation between the gene expression in cells of mice and humans with Sjögren's disease.

[ConservativeMind]

Baricitinib (Olumiant) is available today, but is a specialty drug. It would have to be used off-label.

We have a friend with this disease.

[ConservativeMind]

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[Thud]

Thank you. I’ll bring this to my doctor’s attention.

[catnipman]

“We have a friend with this disease.”

i’ve taken daily low dose naltrexone (LDN) for this disease for nearly 25 years ... dry eyes and dry mouth were gone by the next day and have stayed gone ... main stream media keeps lying that there’s no treatment for Sjögren’s disease, which is completely untrue ... use of low dose naltrexone off-label can in fact be a very successful treatment ... it has to be obtained from a compounding pharmacy because the standard dose is 50 mg, and the typical low dose is 4.5 mg ... LDN is generally prescribed by functional-type MDs ...

[catnipman]

i’ve taken daily low dose naltrexone (LDN) for this disease for nearly 25 years ... dry eyes and dry mouth were gone by the next day and have stayed gone ... main stream media keeps lying that there’s no treatment for Sjögren’s disease, which is completely untrue ... use of low dose naltrexone off-label can in fact be a very successful treatment ... it has to be obtained from a compounding pharmacy because the standard dose is 50 mg, and the typical low dose is 4.5 mg ... LDN is generally prescribed by functional-type MDs ...

[Thud]

Thank you very much!