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Published on: November 9, 2017
[Evaluation and significance of circulating immunocomplexes and their correlation with other immunologic parameters
M J Rodrigo1, V Fonollosa, M Vilardell
1Servicio de Bioquímica, Hospital General Vall d'Hebron, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona.
Insights
Circulating immunocomplexes (CIC) detection varied across collagen diseases. The C1q binding assay showed the highest sensitivity for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and systemic sclerosis, while conglutinin binding was most sensitive for vasculitis.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Rheumatology
- Clinical Chemistry
Background:
- Circulating immunocomplexes (CIC) are implicated in the pathogenesis of various autoimmune and collagen diseases.
- Accurate detection of CIC is crucial for diagnosis and monitoring disease activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the presence and diagnostic utility of CIC in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis, hypersensitivity vasculitis, polyarteritis nodosa, and temporal arteritis.
- To compare the sensitivity and effectiveness of three different methods for CIC detection: C1q binding, conglutinin binding, and serum capacity to solubilize experimental immunocomplexes.
Main Methods:
- Solid-phase C1q binding assay.
- Solid-phase conglutinin binding assay.
- Measurement of serum capacity to solubilize experimental immunocomplexes.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in CIC detection were observed in SLE patients across all three methods (p < 0.001), with C1q binding being the most sensitive.
- CIC detection sensitivity was low in systemic sclerosis, with C1q binding yielding the highest positivity rate (10%).
- In hypersensitivity vasculitis and polyarteritis nodosa, CIC were found in 71% of cases, with the conglutinin method showing the highest sensitivity (48%). Temporal arteritis showed low positivity rates, with significant differences only for conglutinin binding (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- The sensitivity of CIC detection methods varies significantly depending on the specific collagen disease.
- C1q binding assay is a highly sensitive method for detecting CIC in SLE and systemic sclerosis.
- Conglutinin binding assay demonstrates superior sensitivity for detecting CIC in vasculitic syndromes like hypersensitivity vasculitis and polyarteritis nodosa.
Abstract:
The presence of circulating immunocomplexes (CIC) was evaluated in several collagen diseases and in a control group of 100 healthy individuals. Three methods were used for their detection: binding to C1q in solid phase, binding to conglutinin in solid phase, and measurement of the serum capacity to solubilize an experimental immunocomplex. In the group of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) significant differences were found for the three techniques (p less than 0.001) and also for activity (p less than 0.001). The most sensitive method was binding to C1q. The sensitivity of the three techniques for CIC was very low in the group of patients with systemic sclerosis, and the highest rate of positive results was found with binding to C1q (10%). In the group with hypersensitivity vasculitis and polyarteritis nodosa CIC were found in 71% of cases, more than one method being positive in 50%. The highest sensitivity was obtained with the conglutinin method (48%). In patients with temporal arteritis, significant differences were only found for conglutinin binding method (p less than 0.001), with low rates of positivity.
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