Anti-ficolin-3 Autoantibodies in Lupus Nephritis
Anti-ficolin-3 Autoantibodies in Lupus Nephritis
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the
 production of multiple autoantibodies. Antibodies against Ficolin-3 were previously
 identified in the sera of some SLE patients, but their prevalence and significance have not
 been yet investigated. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of
 anti-ficolin-3 antibodies among SLE patients and to investigate their potential as diagnostic
 and/or prognostic biomarkers in SLE.

 In this retrospective study, clinical data were obtained from medical files and blood samples
 were selected from preexisting biological collection. SLE patients (n=165) were informed and
 did not objected, they were matched to healthy controls (n=48). Disease activity was
 determined according to the SLEDAI score. Anti-ficolin-3, anti-dsDNA and anti-C1q antibodies
 levels were measured in sera by ELISA. First, a highly significant difference was found in
 the anti-ficolin-3 levels between SLE patients and healthy subjects. Anti-ficolin-3
 antibodies were detected as positive in 58 of 165 (35%) SLE patients. The titer of
 anti-ficolin-3 antibodies was correlated with the SLEDAI score (p<0.0001). The presence of
 anti-ficolin-3 antibodies was associated with anti-C1q and anti-dsDNA antibodies. Regarding
 associations with clinical manifestations, only the presence of active lupus nephritis was
 significantly associated with the presence of anti-ficolin-3 antibodies (p=0.0001). This
 association with renal involvement was higher with anti-ficolin-3 antibodies than with other
 auto-antibodies. Interestingly, the combination of anti-ficolin-3 and anti-C1q antibodies
 demonstrated higher specificity than any other traditional biomarker.

 These results suggest that anti-ficolin-3 could be useful for the diagnosis of active
 nephritis in SLE patients.
For this retrospective study, a brief summary should be enough.
165 SLE patients

 Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Age: ≥ 18 years old

 -  Patients with lupus diagnostic criteria (ACR1997)

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Pregnant women

 -  Patient with known evolutive cancer

 48 healthy patients matched in age and sex with one or several SLE patients