Possible role for IL-40 and IL-40-producing cells in the lymphocytic infiltrated salivary glands of patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome

作者：Giuliana Guggino, Chiara Rizzo, Leila Mohammadnezhad, Marianna Lo Pizzo, Vincenzo Luca Lentini, Diana Di Liberto, Lidia La Barbera, Stefania Raimondo, Mojtaba Shekarkar Azgomi, Ornella Urzì, Onorina Berardicurti, Giuseppina Campisi, Riccardo Alessandro, Roberto Giacomelli, Francesco Dieli, Francesco Ciccia · 发表于：RMD Open · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1136/rmdopen-2022-002738 · 被引用次数：20 · 研究领域：Salivary Gland Disorders and Functions、Psoriasis: Treatment and Pathogenesis、Pediatric health and respiratory diseases

Objectives Aim of this study was to investigate the expression of interleukin (IL)-40, a new cytokine associated with B cells homoeostasis and immune response, in primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS) and in pSS-associated lymphomas. Methods 29 patients with pSS and 24 controls were enrolled. Minor salivary gland (MSG) biopsies from patients, controls and parotid gland biopsies from pSS-associated lymphoma were obtained. Quantitative gene expression analysis by TaqMan real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry for IL-40 were performed on MSG. MSG cellular sources of IL-40 were determined by flow-cytometry and immunofluorescence. Serum concentration of IL-40 was assessed by ELISA and cellular sources of IL-40 were determined by flow-cytometry. An in vitro assay with recombinant IL-40 (rIL-40) was performed to detect the effect on cytokine production from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Results IL-40 was significantly increased in the lymphocytic infiltrated MSG of patients with pSS and correlated with focus score and with IL-4 and transforming growth factor-β expression. In addition, IL-40 was increased in the serum of pSS and its levels correlated with the EULAR Sjögren’s Syndrome Disease Activity Index score. B cells from patients were shown to be the major source of IL-40 at both tissue and peripheral level. PBMCs from patients, exposed to rIL-40 in vitro, released proinflammatory cytokines, specifically interferon-γ from B cells and T-CD8 + and tumour necrosis factor-α an...