title: Complement cascade in systemic lupus erythematosus: analyses of the three activation pathways.
abstract: The complement (C') cascade is an important part of the innate immunity. It acts through three major pathways: classical (CP), alternative (AP) and mannose-binding-lectin (MP). C' reduction is a key feature in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), for its pathogenesis and for disease relapse. The aims of our study are to correlate C' variations with disease activity and verify the presence of C' deficiencies. We tested for three C' pathways 52 sera from 20 patients affected by SLE. A significant correlation between the ECLAM score and the degree of activation of the CP (Mann-Whitney; P = 0.001) was recorded, while the correlation with anti-dsDNA antibodies did not reach statistical significance (Mann-Whitney; P > 0.05). In conclusion, the ELISA assay can be considered well suited for testing SLE samples. We detected a significant link between the phases of lupus activity and the reduction of the CP.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Institute, Ospedale San Carlo Borromeo, Milan, Italy. dott.ceribelli@libero.it
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ceribelli
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Andreoli
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cavazzana
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Franceschini
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Radice
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rimoldi
authors.forename: Renato Alberto
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Sinico
authors.forename: Malin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carlsson
authors.forename: Jorgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wieslander
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tincani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood; D003167:Complement Activation / Q000276:immunology*; D015922:Complement C1q / Q000276:immunology; D003175:Complement C2 / Q000276:immunology; D003181:Complement C4 / Q000276:immunology; D003170:Complement Pathway, Alternative / Q000276:immunology; D003171:Complement Pathway, Classical / Q000276:immunology; D037582:Complement Pathway, Mannose-Binding Lectin / Q000276:immunology; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D003175:Complement C2; D003181:Complement C4; D015922:Complement C1q; D003165:Complement System Proteins