Lessons from Animal Models in Sj & ouml;gren's Syndrome

Primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) is a connective tissue disease characterized by a wide spectrum of clinical features, extending from a benign glandular disease to an aggressive systemic disorder and/or lymphoma. The pathogenesis of Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is not completely understood, but it is assumed that pathogenesis of SS is multifactorial. The studies based on the animal models of SS provided significant insight in SS disease pathogenesis and management. The aim of this review is to summarize current studies on animal models with primary SS-like symptoms and discuss the impact of these studies on better understanding pathogenesis and management of Sjogren's syndrome. Databases PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Cochrane library were searched for summarizing studies on animal models in SS. Available data demonstrate that animal models are highly important for our understanding of SS disease.

Automated summary

Primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) is a connective tissue disease with a wide range of clinical features, from benign glandular disease to aggressive systemic disorders and/or lymphoma. The pathogenesis of Sjogren's syndrome is still not fully understood, but it is believed to involve multiple factors. Animal models have greatly contributed to our understanding of the disease and its management.