Sjögren’s syndrome: studying the disease in mice

Abstract

Sjögren’s syndrome (SS), a systemic autoimmune disease, is characterized by infl ammation of exocrine tissues accompanied by a signifi cant loss of their secretory function. Clinical symptoms develop late and there are no diagnostic tests enabling early diagnosis of SS. Thus, particularly to study these covert stages, researchers turn to studying animal models where mice provide great freedom for genetic manipulation and testing the eff ect of experimental intervention. The present review summarizes current literature pertaining to both spontaneous and extrinsic-factor induced SS-like diseases in mouse models, discussing advantages and disadvantages related to the use of murine models in SS research.