Detection of the terminal fluid-phase complement complex, SC5b-9, in the plasma of patients with insulin-dependent (type I) diabetes mellitus. Relation to increased urinary albumin excretion and plasma von Willebrand factor.
An ELISA was used to measure the fluid-phase complement complex in the plasma of 54 patients with insulin-dependent (type I) diabetes mellitus. Sixty-seven per cent of the diabetic patients had increased levels of SC5b-9. In individual diabetic patients, increased SC5b-9 was found to be significantly associated with the occurrence of anti-heparan sulphate cross-reactive anti-ssDNA antibodies and in some cases with circulating immune complexes. There was a significant correlation between levels of SC5b-9 and those of urinary albumin excretion rate (AER) (r = 0.39, P less than 0.01). Levels of AER were 8.4 +/- 2.26 micrograms/min and 2.04 +/- 0.35 micrograms/min in the SC5b-9 positive and negative patients, respectively (P less than 0.01). A relationship was also found between SC5b-9 and plasma von Willebrand Factor (r = 0.45, P less than 0.02), von Willebrand factor was 189.2 +/- 19.3% and 132.3 +/- 19.6% in SC5b-9 positive and negative patients, respectively (P less than 0.05). It may be that the abnormalities found in this study play a role in the pathogenesis of the late diabetic vascular complications.
Triolo
G
G
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Palermo, Italy.
Giardina
E
E
Casiglia
D
D
Scarantino
G
G
Bompiani
G D
GD
D000293:Adolescent; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000652:urine*; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003167:Complement Activation; D015938:Complement Membrane Attack Complex / Q000032:analysis*; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000032:analysis; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000032:analysis*
D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D015938:Complement Membrane Attack Complex; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D014841:von Willebrand Factor; D003165:Complement System Proteins