Article Text
Abstract
Objectives To examine microparticles (MPs) from patients with SLE and healthy controls (HCs) by determining the cellular origin of the MPs, quantifying attached fragments of complement component 3 (C3) and assessing the ability of MPs to bind to circulating phagocytes and erythrocytes. These features may be relevant for clearance of MPs in SLE pathogenesis.
Methods Attached C3 fragments (C3b, iC3b, C3d), membrane integrity and cell surface markers of MPs from 18 patients with SLE and 11 HCs were measured by adding specific antibodies, 7-aminoactinomycin D (7AAD) and annexin V. MPs from all subjects were labelled with carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester and allowed to bind to autologous phagocytes and erythrocytes in the presence of autologous serum, and the binding to individual cell populations was assessed by flow cytometry.
Results The proportion of MPs bearing C3 fragments was higher in patients with SLE than in HCs (p=0.026), but the amount of opsonising C3b/iC3b molecules was lower (p=0.004). The C3b/iC3b level correlated with the concentration of circulating C3 (rs=0.53, p=0.036). Phagocytes and erythrocytes from patients and HCs bound autologous MPs, and granulocytes from patients bound 13% more MPs than those from HCs (p=0.043). The presence of erythrocytes inhibited the MP binding to granulocytes by approximately 50%.
Conclusions Our demonstration of altered composition of C3 fragments on MPs from patients with SLE, including decreased numbers of opsonising C3 fragments, and competitive binding of MPs to circulating phagocytes and erythrocytes corroborates the hypothesis of defective clearance of apoptotic material in SLE, and indicates that differences in both MP opsonisation and binding of MPs to cells are important in the pathogenesis of SLE.
- Autoimmunity
- Apoptosis
- Complement
- Microparticles
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
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Footnotes
Contributors LKW designed the study, acquired the data, analysed and interpreted the data, and drafted the article. CHN designed the study, analysed and interpreted the data, and revised the manuscript critically for important intellectual content. SJ designed the study, interpreted data, and revised the manuscript critically for important intellectual content. All authors approved the final version of the article before submission.
Funding We thank The Danish Rheumatism Association, Gerda og Hans Hansens fond, Kong Christian den Tiendes fond, Overlæge Johan Boserup og Lise Boserups legat and Rigshospitalet for financial support.
Competing interests None declared.
Ethics approval The Danish Scientific Ethics Committee.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Data sharing statement No additional data are available.