Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 26, 2026
Analyses of Proteinuria, Renal Infiltration of Leukocytes, and Renal Deposition of Proteins in Lupus-prone MRL/lpr Mice
Published on: June 8, 2022
[Importance of determination of circulating immune complexes in systemic lupus erythematosus]
1Institut za nefrologiju, Klinicki centar Univerziteta u Sarajevu.
Insights
Circulating immune complexes (CIC) effectively track systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) activity. Measuring CIC, along with anti-dsDNA antibodies, aids in monitoring SLE disease progression and treatment effectiveness.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Rheumatology
- Clinical Chemistry
Context:
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease.
- Monitoring disease activity is crucial for effective patient management.
- Current biomarkers may not fully capture SLE's dynamic nature.
Purpose:
- To investigate the utility of circulating immune complexes (CIC) as a biomarker for SLE activity.
- To compare CIC levels during active disease and remission phases.
- To evaluate the correlation of CIC with other established SLE immunological markers.
Summary:
- This study analyzed 9 SLE patients, measuring CIC, C3, C4 complement, anti-dsDNA antibodies, and antinuclear antibodies (ANF).
- CIC levels were significantly elevated during active SLE and decreased during remission, indicating therapeutic effects.
- While ANF and complement levels (C3, C4) showed no significant difference between phases, anti-dsDNA antibodies were elevated in 90% of active SLE cases.
Impact:
- Circulating immune complexes (CIC) demonstrate potential as a reliable indicator of SLE disease activity.
- Combined assessment of CIC with anti-dsDNA antibodies offers a valuable approach for monitoring SLE patients.
- This research contributes to refining diagnostic and prognostic tools for SLE management.
Unlabelled:
The concentration of circulating immune complexes (CIC) was investigated in the group of 9 patients with revealed systemic lupus crythematosus in active disease period and remission. In the same time it was estimated the blood level of complement C3 and C4, anti-dsDNA antibody and qualitative estimation of antinuclear antibody (ANF). It was estimated the significance of their changes in the remission and in activity period. CIC were performed with N-Latex (Clq) CIC nephelometry, C3 and C4 k.k. with nephelometry, and anti-dsDNA antibodies with ELISA test, specific for dsDNA antigen, IgG type, and ANF was performed with direct immunofluorescence microscopy. In the results, we found increase the concentration of CIC with all patients in active disease period, but in the remission period it was decreased (therapy effect). The blood level of ANF, C3, C4 were not significantly different between activity and remission period. The anti-dsDNA level was significantly elevated (90%) in the period of high SLE activity, while decrease was confirmed during remission.
In Conclusion:
the CIC level in patients with SLE is adequate parameter for disease activity estimation, together with measuring other immunological parameters (C3, C4, anti-dsDNA antibody), is useful in follow up of SLE activity.
