Determination of serum levels of complement component C4b-binding protein: influence of age and inflammation

Santica M. Marcovina1, Adele Zoppo2, Silvana Viganó-D'Angelo3, Giovanni Di Cola2, Armando D'Angelo3
1Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
2Immunochemistry and Hybridoma Laboratories, Scientific Institut IRCCS H.S. Raffaele, Milan, Italy
3Coagulation Service, Scientific Institute IRCCS H.S. Raffaele, Milan, Italy

Tóm tắt

C4b-binding protein (C4b-BP) is a high molecular weight plasma protein which inhibits the activity of the classical complement pathway C3 convertase. In addition to multiple binding sites for C4b, C4b-BP possesses a single binding site for vitamin K-dependent protein S, an inhibitor of blood coagulation. As protein S bound to C4b-BP has no anticoagulant activity, C4b-BP participates in the regulation of both the complement and the coagulation pathways. We have produced and immunochemically characterized a series of murine monoclonal antibodies to human C4b-BP. A mixture of four monoclonal antibodies precipitating C4b-BP both in agarose gel and in solution was used to develop a highly reproducible radial immunodiffusion method for the measurement of C4b-BP in human serum. C4b-BP levels were measured in sera from 284 patients referred to our central laboratory. Samples from subjects with an increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), a1-acid glycoprotein (a1-AGP) or C-reactive protein (CRP) had significantly higher C4b-BP levels (307 mg/l, 292–322 mg/l, geometric mean and 95% confidence limits of the mean) than those from subjects without elevation of the aforementioned established acute phase reactants (231 mg/l, 226–237 mg/l,P<0.00001). C4b-BP was significantly (P<0.001) correlated with ESR (r=0.715), a1-AGP (r=0.692) and CRP (r=0.567). There was no genderrelated difference in C4b-BP levels. In subjects with no increased acute phase reactants there was a significant correlation between C4b-BP levels and age (r=0.387,P<0.001). High C4b-BP might contribute to the increased thrombotic risk associated with inflammation and aging.

Tài liệu tham khảo

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