Níveis de imunoglobulinas na saliva de crianças e adolescentes portadores de hepatite autoimune

Abstract

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is an inflammatory chronic liver disease of unknown etiology found predominantly in females, leading when untreated, to cirrhosis. It is a rare disease in the childhood, corresponding to about 10% of patients with chronic hepatitis, but exhibits high mortality. It is characterized by hipergammaglobulinemia, organ nonspecific circulating autoantibodies, and an inflammatory liver-infiltrating lymphocytes and plasma cells. The use of saliva as a diagnostic tool has advanced exponentially within recent years. Unbalance in the amount and composition of saliva may generate oral diseases and may also indicate important systemic alterations. This study has aimed to investigate the parameters of immunoglobulins and human whole saliva in patients with AIH. Our study sample consisted of 12 individuals with AIH (experimental group) and 12 healthy individuals without AIH (control group). Salivary flow rate, Ph, immunoglobulins and protein profile were evaluated in this population. Non stimulated whole saliva was collected and centrifuged. The supernatant was separated and lyophilized and stored at -80°C for posterior total protein, unidimensional electroforetic analysis and ELISA. Statistically significant differences were observed between groups (p ≤ 0, 05) for the analyzed salivary parameters. When compared to the control group, individuals with HAI presented elevated IgG level and protein bands with specific expression. The results of this study suggest the existence of important differences within the pattern of salivary protein composition between groups.