Functional effects of anticardiolipin antibodies

The 'lupus anticoagulant' phenomenon is the best documented functional effect of antiphospholipid (aPL) antibodies, occurring either by inhibition of the prothrombinase and/or Factor X activation reactions. Understanding the mechanism by which aPL antibodies inhibit phospholipid dependent coagulation reactions may yield important clues about their 'thrombogenic effects' in vivo. We conducted a series of studies to determine the specificity, diversity, and mechanism by which aPL antibodies inhibit phospholipid dependent reactions. Results showed that purified immunoglobulins with lupus anticoagulant and anti-cardiolipin activities were absorbed by negatively charged phospholipids and both activities were recovered from the phospholipid-antibody precipitate. Purified aPL antibodies inhibited the prothrombinase reaction in a plasma free system in which beta 2-glycoprotein 1 (beta 2-GP1) was absent. Affinity purified aPL antibodies had 25-50 times the inhibitory activity of immunoglobulin preparations. The phospholipid binding proteins, beta 2-GPI and placental anticoagulant protein I (PAP I), independently inhibited the prothrombinase reaction, and when these proteins were combined with aPL, inhibition of the prothrombinase reaction was additive. Antibodies of syphilis had no inhibitory effect, partially accounted for by lack of specificity for phosphotidylserine (PS). Although aPL antibodies inhibited the protein C activation reaction, there was no correlation of these activities with inhibition of the prothrombinase reaction. Together, these results show that aPL exert their effects by interaction with negatively charged phospholipids, in particular phosphotidylserine, but lack of correlation between inhibition of the prothrombinase and protein C activation reactions, suggests that the nature of the coagulation protein is also important.