[Clinical significance of antiphospholipid antibodies]

Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) are a family of autoantibodies with specificity for negatively charged phospholipids, or more accurately for their complex to phospholipid binding proteins. Their presence is associated with arterial/venous thrombosis and recurrent pregnancy loss. These clinical manifestations with the persistence of aPL are recognized as antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), one of the most common acquired thrombophilia. beta 2-glycoprotein I (beta 2GPI) bears the epitope(s) for anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) on its molecule, and lupus anticoagulant activity depends on the presence of beta 2GPI or prothrombin. Thus phospholipid binding proteins may have some crucial roles in the pathophysiology of thrombotic events in APS.