Elevated plasma FXII is associated with disease activity in ANCA-associated vasculitis: A Retrospective...

This study examined whether plasma FXII levels reflect disease activity in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). Plasma FXII levels were detected by ELISA in 127 patients with AAV, and their associations with disease activity and plasma myeloperoxidase (MPO)-ANCA titre were examined. Immunofluorescent co-staining of FXII and neutrophils was performed on the renal tissues of patients with AAV. MPO expression in renal biopsy tissues was determined by immunohistochemical staining. The association between plasma FXII levels and histological activity was assessed in 82 patients who underwent kidney biopsy. Plasma FXII levels were considerably increased in patients with clinically active AAV compared to those in clinical remission and healthy individuals. Plasma FXII levels correlated positively with creatinine (r = 0.377), CRP (r = 0.222), urine red blood cell (r = 0.203), serum MPO-ANCA titer (r = 0.353), white blood cell (r = 0.194), percentage of glomeruli with crescents (P = 0.001), capillary breaks (P = 0.001), interstitial inflammation (P < 0.001) and fibrinoid necrosis (p < 0.001) on kidney biopsy. The plasma FXII optimal cut-off value for evaluating AAV activity was 24.5 μg/mL (sensitivity = 0.81, specificity = 0.82, P = 0.0001), which was superior to that achieved using conventional serologic biomarkers. Co-expression of FXII and neutrophils was higher, with increased MPO expression, in renal tissue with pathologically active AAV than that observed in pathologically inactive tissues. In conclusion, elevated plasma FXII levels reflect AAV clinical and histologic activity, and can serve as markers of active AAV.