Effects of cevimeline on the immunolocalization of aquaporin-5 and the ultrastructure of salivary glands in Sjögren's syndrome model mice.

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disorder whose main symptoms include xerostomia and dry eyes. It has been demonstrated that abnormal expression of aquaporin (AQP)-5 in the parotid and submandibular glands in SS model mice was corrected by cevimeline. In the present study, we orally administered cevimeline hydrochloride (cevimeline) to female MRL/l mice, which are widely used as a model for SS, to immunohistochemically investigate the localization of AQP-5 in the salivary glands.