Antibodies against b2-glycoprotein I (b2-GP I)
and Their Relationship to Fetoplacental Antigens
L. FIALOVÁ, I. MALBOHAN, L.
MIKULÍKOVÁ, O. BENEŠOVÁ1, A. ZWINGER1
First Institute of Medical Chemistry and
Biochemistry, Institute of Clinical Chemistry, First Medical
Faculty, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic, 1Institute
of Child and Mother Care, Prague, Czech Republic
Received March 16, 2001
Accepted January 22, 2002
Summary
Binding of beta2-GP I to
anionic phospholipids is thought to be the major antigen
required in the reaction of anticardiolipin antibodies to
phospholipids. The aim of this study was to investigate the
changes of anti-beta2-GP I IgG during
the first and second trimester of pregnancy and the relationship
between the levels of anti-beta2-GP I
and fetoplacental antigens and the correlation between anti-beta2-GP
I IgG and antibodies against oxidized low-density lipoprotein
IgG (oLAb) in serum of pregnant women. We determined
anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) IgG and maternal serum levels
of alpha1-fetoprotein
(AFP), human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) and
trophoblast-specific beta1-glycoprotein
(SP1) in 204 pregnant women in the first and second trimester.
From this group we selected 52 serum samples positive for ACA
IgG and 16 samples negative for ACA IgG. In the samples of
selected patients, the levels of anti-b2-GP I IgG and oLAb IgG
were determined. Anti-b2-GP I IgG levels significantly decreased
in the second trimester (6.2±9.3 U/ml, mean ± S.D.) in
comparison with the first trimester (8.3±10.4 U/ml) (p=0.05).
Multiple of median (MoM) AFP correlated negatively but not
significantly in the first trimester with anti-b2-GP I (r =
-0.261, p = 0.12). In the second trimester this correlation was
significantly negative (r = -0.278, p = 0.04). The Spearman
correlation coefficients for MoM HCG and anti-beta2-GP
I were 0.158 for the first trimester and 0.174 for the second
trimester. MoM SP1 also did not correlate significantly with
anti-beta2-GP I in both trimesters.
The correlation between anti-beta2-GP
I IgG and oLAb IgG was not significant (r = -0.06). In the first
trimester 40 % serum samples were positive for anti-b2-GP I IgG
and negative for oLAb IgG or vice versa, while 60 % samples in
the second trimester were positive only for one determined
autoantibody. We can conclude that the levels of anti-beta2-GP
I IgG decrease during the second trimester probably as the
result of the effects of some immunosuppressive agents
associated with pregnancy. The finding of negative correlation
between AFP and anti-b2-GP I suggests that anti-b2-GP I has an
influence on fetus development.
Key
words
Anti-beta2-glycoprotein I ·
Antiphospholipid antibodies · alpha1-fetoprotein
· Human chorionic gonadotrophin · Trophoblast-specific -
beta1-glycoprotein · Pregnancy
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L. Fialová, First Institute of Medical Chemistry, Kateřinská 32,
121 08 Prague 2, Czech Republic. E-mail:
lFial@lf1.cuni.cz
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