title: Correlation between beta 2-glycoprotein antibodies and antiphospholipid antibodies in patients with reproductive failure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Antiphospholipid antibodies (APAs) are important in the etiology of reproductive failure. Studies have shown that binding proteins are necessary for the detection of APAs. One of these, beta 2-glycoprotein, has been shown to be necessary for detection of anticardiolipin antibodies. It is felt that some APAs may be directed to the binding protein itself, or to a combination of the binding protein and phospholipid.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, a comparison of APAs vs. anti beta 2-glycoprotein antibodies was performed on the sera of 123 women younger than 40 years of age with a history of reproductive failure. Antibodies to six phospholipid epitopes, cardiolipin, phosphatidyle-thanolamine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylglycerol, and phosphatidylserine, were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 123 women tested, 33 had one or more positive immunoglobulin (Ig)G antibodies to phospholipids, of which 9 were to cardiolipin. However, only 1 of 123 women had IgG antibodies to beta 2-glycoprotein and she was APA negative. Thirty-eight of 123 women had one or more IgM antibodies to phospholipids, with none directed to cardiolipin IgM. In contrast, only 8 of the 123 women had IgM antibodies to beta 2-glycoprotein. Five of the eight patients had IgM APA; 4 of 5 had IgM antibodies to PE, 1 to PI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is no correlation between beta 2-glycoprotein antibodies and APA status in this population. To date, our most sensitive test for detecting phospholipid autoimmune-mediated in vitro fertilization failure still appears to be the ELISA assay for APA.
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Immunology Associates, Van Nuys, California 91405, USA.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Matzner
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ching
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017153:Antibodies, Anticardiolipin / Q000097:blood; D017152:Antibodies, Antiphospholipid / Q000097:blood*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000276:immunology*; D053482:beta 2-Glycoprotein I
chemical_list: D017153:Antibodies, Anticardiolipin; D017152:Antibodies, Antiphospholipid; D001323:Autoantibodies; D006023:Glycoproteins; D053482:beta 2-Glycoprotein I