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Figure 1. Actions of serum and IgG from pSS patients on PGE2 generation. (Upper panel) Effects of increasing concentrations of serum (A) and pSS IgG (B) on PGE2 production on an isolated rat submandibular gland. Values represent the mean ± SEM of 10 different individual serum or IgG samples from each group, performed in triplicate. *p < 0.001 vs. groups II and III. (Lower panel) Concentration-response curves of pSS IgG on PGE2 production on an isolated rat submandibular gland in the absence or in the presence of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonists (C), and in the presence of M1, M3, and M4 synthetic peptides (D). The blocker agents were used at 1 x 10–6 M, and the peptides at 1 x 10–5 M. Values represent the mean ± SEM of 7 different individual serum or corresponding IgG samples from group I, performed in duplicate. *p < 0.01 vs. pirenzepine, 4-DAMP, and tropicamide. **p < 0.001 vs. M1 peptide, M3 peptide, and M4 peptide. [Group designations as in the Table: Group I, 15 women with primary Sjögren syndrome and with dry mouth; Group II, 16 post-menopausal women with dry mouth and without Sjögren syndrome; and Group III, 18 healthy, pre-menopausal women without any systemic disease (control group).]
