Serum and cerebrospinal fluid autoantibodies in patients with neuropsychiatric lupus erythematosus. Implications for diagnosis and pathogenesis.
BACKGROUND
Despite the uncertainty in the diagnosis of neuropsychiatric involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), attempts have been made to record the association of certain antibodies in serum with neuropsychiatric (NP) manifestations. We aimed to assess the behaviour and the association of serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) autoantibodies with NP manifestations in SLE patients (NPSLE).


RESULTS
Forty-seven SLE patients, hospitalized because of NP manifestations were included. They were evaluated at hospitalization and six months later, and serum and CSF samples were obtained at each evaluation. As controls, serum samples were taken from 49 non-NPSLE patients at hospitalization and six months later; serum and CSF samples were also obtained from 6 SLE patients with septic meningitis, 16 surgical SLE patients and 25 patients without autoimmune diseases. Antinuclear, anti-dsDNA, anti-ribosomal P, Anti-N-Methyl-D-Aspartate receptor (NMDAR), anti-cardiolipin, and anti-beta2 glycoprotein-I antibodies were measured. In serum, anti-ribosomal P, anti-NMDAR, and other antibodies did not differentiate among SLE groups, and the levels of all antibodies were similar among the SLE groups. Six-months later, this scenario remained unchanged and the decrease in the levels of some autoantibodies reflected a decline in disease activity, rather than a change in NPSLE. In CSF, only the presence and the levels of anti-NMDAR antibodies showed a characteristic distribution in central NPSLE and septic meningitis patients. Six months later the prevalence of most antibodies in CSF did not change, however the levels of anti-dsDNA, anti-ribosomal P, and anti-NMDAR decreased.


CONCLUSIONS
In NPSLE, autoantibodies in serum do not reflect their behaviour in CSF. All autoantibodies were elevated in septic meningitis reflecting the global penetration of serum antibodies into the CSF in this condition. Anti-NMDAR antibodies in CSF identified patients with central NPSLE; their continued presence in CSF 6 months after neurologic symptoms raise questions regarding the conditions under which they are pathogenic.
Department of Immunology and Rheumatology, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, México, Distrito Federal, México.
Hilda
H
Fragoso-Loyo
Javier
J
Cabiedes
Alejandro
A
Orozco-Narváez
Luis
L
Dávila-Maldonado
Yemil
Y
Atisha-Fregoso
Betty
B
Diamond
Luis
L
Llorente
Jorge
J
Sánchez-Guerrero
D000328:Adult; D000906:Antibodies; D017153:Antibodies, Anticardiolipin; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D020945:Lupus Vasculitis, Central Nervous System / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000276:immunology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins; D044967:Serum / Q000276:immunology; D013997:Time Factors; D053482:beta 2-Glycoprotein I
D000906:Antibodies; D017153:Antibodies, Anticardiolipin; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D001323:Autoantibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins; D053482:beta 2-Glycoprotein I