[Specific measurement of alternate pathway activation of complement in human glomerulonephritides (GN): 125 cases...

C3 cleaving activity through alternate pathway, appreciated by native C3 antigen reduction in the presence of Mg EGTA, has been measured in sera of 40 controls and of 125 GN patients. The normal percentage of native C3 conversion ranged from 0 to 29 in controls (p less than 0.05). The number of positive samples is 0/30 in lupus GN (0%), 13/29 in acute GN (45%) and 26/66 in membranoproliferative GN (39%) with 7/8 in dense deposits subtype. The presence of alternate pathway activators of complement correlated with serum C3 level: their frequency is respectively 0, 0.32, and 0.48 if serum C3 is normal, low, and very low. Such activity correlated also well with alternate pathway C3 activation (low C3 and normal C4): the frequency of positive samples is respectively 0, 0.07, and 0.51 in the presence of No C3 activation, classical pathway activation (low C3 and low C4), and alternate pathway activation. The nature of such serum activators could be nephritic factor, bacterial polysaccharides, polymeric IgA, activated properdin, peculiar immune complexes, or other factors. Such measurement is an improvement immunopathological step in the investigation of human GN.