Clinical significance of the expression levels of serum transforming growth factor-β and CXC type chemokine ligand 13 in primary Sjogren’s syndrome patients

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the expression levels of the serum transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) CXC type chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13) in primary Sjogren’s syndrome (pSS) patients and its correlation with disease severity. Method Thirty patients with pSS admitted to Nanjing Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2021 to December 2022 were included as the pSS group, while 30 patients who underwent physical examination during the same period were included as the control group. The levels of TGF-β1 and CXCL13 were detected. The diagnostic value of TGF-β1 and CXCL13 for pSS was analyzed. Detection of serum TGF-β1 and CXCL13 levels in pSS patients with different disease activities and lip gland pathological grading of pSS was done. We compared the correlation between TGF-β1 and CXCL13 levels and disease activity and labial gland pathological grading in pSS patients. Result The TGF-β1 and CXCL13 levels in the pSS group were higher than those in the control group. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) for TGF-β1 and CXCL13 diagnosis of pSS was 0.790 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.720~0.861) and 0.838 (95% CI: 0.778~0.898), respectively. The serum TGF-β1 and CXCL13 levels of pSS patients significantly increase with the increase of disease activity and lip gland pathological grading. The TGF-β1 and CXCL13 levels in pSS patients were positively correlated with disease activity and lip gland pathological grading. Conclusion The levels of TGF-β1 and CXCL13 in pSS patients were increased, and it was closely related to disease activity and lip gland pathological grading, which can be used as an effective indicator for the diagnosis of pSS. Key Points • The TGF-β1 and CXCL13 levels in the pSS group were higher than those in the control group . • The TGF-β1 and CXCL13 levels in pSS patients were positively correlated with disease activity and lip gland pathological grading . • TGF-β1 and CXCL13 can be used as an effective indicator for the diagnosis of pSS .