Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is one of the most common autoimmune diseases. It is suggested that, in addition to thyroid gland dysfunction, HT is responsible for impaired secretion from the salivary glands. The aim of this study was to evaluate the extent of symptoms of salivary gland dysfunction. We also assessed the relationship between the levels of selected cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors in unstimulated whole saliva (UWS) and the rate of UWS secretion and symptoms of xerostomia in HT patients. The study group consisted of 25 female patients diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease in its spontaneous euthyroid state who had never received hormonal treatment. In more than half of the examined patients, we observed the level of UWS secretion below 0.2 mL/min, indicating impaired secretory function of the salivary glands. Moreover, we demonstrated that the clinical symptoms of salivary gland dysfunction worsen with disease duration. Nevertheless, the inflammatory changes occurring in these glands are independent of general inflammation in the course of HT. Our results clearly indicate an abnormal profile of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors in the UWS of HT euthyroid women as well as the fact that concentrations of IL-6 and IL-1 as well as INF-γ, TNF-α, and IL-12 may be potential biomarkers for salivary gland dysfunction in the course of HT. Furthermore, salivary IL-12 (p40) may be helpful in assessing the progression of autoimmunity-related inflammation in the course of HT. In conclusion, secretory dysfunction of the salivary glands is closely related to autoimmunity-related inflammation in the course of HT, which leads to objective and subjective symptoms of dry mouth.

中文翻译：

---

细胞因子/趋化因子/生长因子谱有助于了解甲状腺功能正常的桥本甲状腺炎患者唾液腺功能障碍的发病机制

桥本氏甲状腺炎 (HT) 是最常见的自身免疫性疾病之一。有人认为，除了甲状腺功能障碍外，HT 还导致唾液腺分泌受损。本研究的目的是评估唾液腺功能障碍症状的程度。我们还评估了未刺激全唾液 (UWS) 中选定的细胞因子、趋化因子和生长因子水平与 HT 患者 UWS 分泌率和口干症状之间的关系。该研究组由 25 名在自发甲状腺功能正常状态下被诊断患有桥本氏病的女性患者组成，她们从未接受过激素治疗。在超过一半的检查患者中，我们观察到 UWS 分泌水平低于 0.2 mL/min，表明唾液腺的分泌功能受损。而且，我们证明唾液腺功能障碍的临床症状随着疾病持续时间而恶化。然而，这些腺体中发生的炎症变化与 HT 过程中的一般炎症无关。我们的结果清楚地表明了 HT 甲状腺功能正常女性 UWS 中细胞因子、趋化因子和生长因子的异常情况，以及 IL-6 和 IL-1 的浓度以及 INF-γ、TNF - α和IL-12可能是HT过程中唾液腺功能障碍的潜在生物标志物。此外，唾液 IL-12 (p40) 可能有助于评估 HT 过程中自身免疫相关炎症的进展。综上所述，唾液腺分泌功能障碍与HT过程中自身免疫相关炎症密切相关，导致口干的客观和主观症状。