Exosome and Mesenchymal Stem Cell Treatment for Salivary Gland Dysfunction in Primary Sjögren Syndrome

September 22, 2026 updated by: Banu Erkal

Effect of Exosome and Mesenchymal Stem Cell Injections Into the Submandibular Glands on Salivary Gland Function in Primary Sjögren Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

This study will evaluate the effects of exosome and mesenchymal stem cell injections into the submandibular glands of adults with primary Sjögren syndrome and salivary gland dysfunction or dry mouth. A total of 30 participants will be randomly assigned to three groups: an exosome group, a mesenchymal stem cell group, or a placebo group. Both submandibular glands will receive two applications, with the second application performed 2 weeks after the first. Each gland will receive 0.5 mL of the assigned treatment at two injection sites. Exosomes will be derived from umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells, and mesenchymal stem cells will also be derived from umbilical cord tissue. The placebo group will receive saline. Previous sialoscintigraphy results obtained at Yeditepe University as part of the diagnosis of primary Sjögren syndrome will be used as the baseline assessment. The Xerostomia Inventory will be administered at months 1 and 3, and sialoscintigraphy will be repeated at month 6 to evaluate changes in salivary gland function. Each participant will be followed for 6 months.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

30

Phase

  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Kadikoy
      • Istanbul, Kadikoy, Turkey (Türkiye), 34718
        • Yeditepe University Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Banu Erkal, MD
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Yavuz Selim Pata, Professor

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 18 years or older
  • Diagnosis of primary Sjögren syndrome
  • Salivary gland hypofunction and/or xerostomia
  • Previous sialoscintigraphy performed at Yeditepe University as part of the diagnosis of primary Sjögren syndrome
  • Willingness to provide written informed consent
  • Acceptance of the planned bilateral submandibular gland applications and follow-up

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Age younger than 18 years
  • No previous sialoscintigraphy or inability to undergo sialoscintigraphy
  • Presence of another disease, in addition to primary Sjögren syndrome, that may cause dry mouth
  • Use of medications that may cause dry mouth
  • Refusal to provide informed consent
  • Refusal to undergo the planned bilateral submandibular gland applications or follow-up

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Exosome

Participants will receive exosome injections into both submandibular glands. The exosome preparation is derived from umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells and contains 5 billion particles per 1 mL. Each submandibular gland will receive 0.5 mL at two injection sites per application. Two applications will be performed, with the second application 2 weeks after the first.
Biological: exosomes derived from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells

Exosomes derived from umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells. The preparation is a cell-free extracellular vesicle product containing 5 billion particles per 1 mL. Each participant will receive 0.5 mL in each submandibular gland at two injection sites. Two applications will be performed, with the second application 2 weeks after the first.
Experimental: Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Participants will receive mesenchymal stem cell injections into both submandibular glands. The mesenchymal stem cells are derived from umbilical cord tissue and produced by Yeditepe University at a concentration of 10 million MSCs per 1 mL. Each submandibular gland will receive 0.5 mL at two injection sites per application. Two applications will be performed, with the second application 2 weeks after the first.
Biological: Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC)

Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), produced by Yeditepe University, at a concentration of 10 million MSCs per 1 mL. Each bilateral submandibular gland will receive 0.5 mL at two injection sites per application. Two applications will be performed, with the second application 2 weeks after the first.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo

Participants will receive serum physiologic (saline) injections into both submandibular glands. Each submandibular gland will receive 0.5 mL at two injection sites per application. Two applications will be performed, with the second application 2 weeks after the first.
Other: Placebo

Serum physiologic (saline). Each bilateral submandibular gland will receive 0.5 mL at two injection sites per application. Two applications will be performed, with the second application 2 weeks after the first.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Salivary Flow Rate From Baseline to Month 6 Assessed by Sialoscintigraphy
Time Frame: Baseline to Month 6

Change in salivary flow rate, measured by salivary gland scintigraphy. Salivary flow rate will be expressed in mL/min. Baseline values obtained from the participants' existing sialoscintigraphy performed at Yeditepe University will be compared with the values obtained at Month 6.
Baseline to Month 6

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Xerostomia Inventory Score
Time Frame: 3 months

Change in xerostomia severity assessed using the 11-item Xerostomia Inventory XI. Total scores range from 11 to 55, with higher scores indicating greater severity of xerostomia. The questionnaire will be administered at Month 1 and Month 3.
3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Banu Erkal

Investigators

  • Study Director: Yavuz Selim Pata, Professor, Yeditepe University Hospital
  • Principal Investigator: Banu Erkal, Resident, Yeditepe University Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 17, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 22, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 24, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 24, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 22, 2026

Last Verified

September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • SJGEXO2026

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be shared with other researchers.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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