Altered Salivary Redox Homeostasis in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis

Objective. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Our objective was to determine whether SSc is associated with altered redox homeostasis in human saliva. Methods. Study participants were 70 women with SSc and 120 female controls. 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyauanosine (8-OHdG), 8-epi-prostaglandin F 2 alpha (8-epi-PGF2 alpha), and total protein carbonyls were assayed by ELISA to quantify oxidative damage to nucleic acids, lipids, and proteins, respectively, in whole nonstimulated saliva. Results. We observed a significantly positive association between salivary log protein carbonyls and SSc in a crude statistic (OR 9.06. p < 0.0001), and multivariable model adjusted for log 8-OHdG, log 8-epi-PGF2 alpha, and antioxidant exposure (OR 9.26, p < 0.0001). No significant association was noted between SSc and salivary log 8-epi-PGF2 alpha or log 8-OHdG. Conclusion. Salivary redox homeostasis is perturbed in patients with SSc and may inform on the pathophysioloay and presence of the disease (biomarkers) and efficacy of therapeutic interventions. (First Release July 1 2010; J Rheumatol 2010;37:1858-63; doi:10.3899/jrheum.091451)