Anti-phospholipid IgG antibodies detected by line immunoassay differentiate patients with anti-phospholipid syndrome and other autoimmune diseases

Purpose

Anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL) analyzed by line immunoassay (LIA) can recognize beta₂-glycoprotein I (β₂GPI) domain 1 (D1) epitopes depending on β₂GPI binding to distinct phospholipids. The aPL LIA was compared with consensus ELISA to investigate whether both techniques can discriminate anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS) patients from aPL-positive, systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARD) patients without clinical symptoms of APS and controls.

Methods

Thirty-four APS patients (14 arterial/venous thrombosis, 16 pregnancy morbidity, and 4 both), 41 patients with SARD lacking clinical APS criteria but demonstrating positivity for anti-β₂GPI (aβ₂GPI) IgG, and 20 healthy subjects (HS) were tested for aPL to cardiolipin (aCL), phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol (aPG), phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, β₂GPI, prothrombin, and annexin V by LIA. Samples were also tested for aCL, aβ₂GPI, aβ₂GPI-domain 1 (aD1), and aβ₂GPI-domains 4–5 (aD4–5) by ELISA and for lupus anti-coagulant.

Results

Comparison of LIA with ELISA revealed a good agreement for the consensus criteria aPL aβ₂GPI and aCL IgG (kappa = 0.69, 0.68, respectively) and a moderate agreement for IgM (kappa = 0.52, 0.49, respectively). Regarding ELISA, aD1/aD4–5 demonstrated the best performance of differentiating APS from asymptomatic SARD [area under the curve (AUC): 0.76]. aPG IgG had the best performance by LIA (AUC: 0.72) not significantly different from aD1/aD4–5. There was a good agreement for aPG IgG with aD1/aD4–5 (kappa = 0.71).

Conclusions

aD1/aD4–5 (ELISA) and aPG IgG (LIA) differentiate APS from SARD patients. PG appears to interact with β₂GPI of APS patients and exposes D1 thereof for disease-specific aPL binding in LIA.

Autoantibodies to domain 1 of beta 2 glycoprotein I determined using a novel chemiluminescence immunoassay demonstrate association with thrombosis in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome

INTRODUCTION

Antibodies to the domain 1 of beta 2 glycoprotein I (β2GPI-D1) have been suggested as a risk marker for thrombosis in patients with the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). This cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the clinical utility of a novel chemiluminescence assay for the detection of anti-β2GPI-D1 antibodies.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Sera collected from patients with primary or secondary APS (n = 106; 72 with and 34 without history of thrombosis) and controls (n = 272) were tested for anti-β2GPI-D1 IgG by chemiluminescence assay (QUANTA Flash) and by two anti-β2GPI IgG assays (QUANTA Lite and QUANTA Flash β2GPI IgG).

RESULTS

Anti-β2GPI-D1 IgG titers were significantly higher in patients with thrombosis (P = 0.0032) than those without. At the cut-off of 20 units, which yielded a 99.5% specificity, 24 of 72 (34.9%) patients with thrombosis and four of 34 (11.8%) without thrombosis were anti-β2GPI-D1 IgG positive (odds ratio, OR = 4.0). By further optimizing the cut-off specifically for correlation with thrombosis, 20.8% of the patients with thrombosis and 2.9% of the patients without thrombosis were positive (OR = 8.7). The ORs were significantly lower for antibodies to the full-length β2GPI by either the chemiluminescence assay or ELISA. Using the anti-β2GPI chemiluminescence assay, the OR was 2.3 (recommended cut-off of 20 CU) or 4.1 (optimal cut-off 164.6 CU). Using the anti-β2GPI ELISA, the OR was 2.7 (recommended cut-off of 20 units) or 3.7 (optimal cut-off 7.6 units).

CONCLUSION

These data indicate that anti-β2GPI-D1 IgG are present more frequently and in higher titers in APS patients with thrombotic complications than in those without.The novel β2GPI-D1 chemiluminescence assay appears to be superior to full-length β2GPI assays for the risk assessment of thrombotic events in APS patients.

Clinical implications of the detection of antibodies directed against domain 1 of β2-glycoprotein 1 in thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome

INTRODUCTION

Antibodies directed against domain 1 of β2 glycoprotein 1 (aβ2GP1-Dm1) have been involved in the immunopathogenesis of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). However, the clinical relevance of aβ2GP1-Dm1 in thrombotic APS has not yet been fully explored.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the frequency of aβ2GP1-Dm1 in a cohort of patients with thrombotic APS, and to evaluate whether testing for aβ2GP1-Dm1 could have a clinical impact upon the risk assessment of the disease.

METHODS

Patients were tested for aβ2GP1-Dm1 antibodies by chemiluminescence (BioFlash/AcuStar®, ES). The presence of aβ2GP1-Dm1 was evaluated in different clinical presentations of the disease.

RESULTS

Eight-four patients with a history of venous or arterial thrombosis were included. Forty-five (54%) patients had aβ2GP1 antibodies and 40% of them were positive for aβ2GP1-Dm1. Levels of aβ2GP1-Dm1 were higher in patients with systemic autoimmune disease (AUC=0.665; 95% CI=0.544-0.786; P=0.01), positive antinuclear antibody (AUC=0.654; 95% CI=0.535-0.772; P=0.01), triple antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) positivity (AUC=0.680; 95% CI=0.534-0.825; P=0.02) and positive lupus anticoagulant (AUC=0.639; 95% CI=0.502-0.776; P=0.07). In this cohort, aβ2GP1-Dm1 antibodies were not associated with the site of the first thrombosis (OR=0,62, 95% CI=0.20-1.94, P=0.42), thrombosis recurrence (OR=1.0, 95% CI=0.37-2.71, P=1.0) or pregnancy morbidity (OR=1.5, 95% CI=0.33-7.34, P=0.58). In multivariate analysis, positivity for aβ2GP1-Dm1 antibodies was associated with the diagnosis of systemic autoimmune disease (OR=4.01, 95% CI=1.14-14.2; P=0.03) and triple aPL positivity (OR=3.59, 95% CI=0.87-14.85; P=0.07).

CONCLUSIONS

In the present cohort of thrombotic-APS patients, aβ2GP1-Dm1 antibodies were related to the diagnosis of systemic autoimmunity and complex serological profile of the disease, as triple aPL positivity and positive antinuclear antibody. Thus, our results suggest that testing for aβ2GP1-Dm1 antibodies may be useful for improving APS risk assessment.