1989 Volume 12 Issue 1 Pages 26-32
Complement split products C3d in the plasma taken serially from the patients suffering from SLE in active stage were measured using anti-human C3d coated plate and peroxidase labelled anti-human C3. The titers of C3d were compared with those of CH50, C3 protein and immune complexes.
Mean O. D. values (0.260±0.091) of C3d of SLE patients were higher than that (0.210±0.104) of healthy subjects. In plasma of SLE patients, C3d levels and serum-CH50 correlated inversely (r=-0.509, P<0.05). Moreover, C3d levels (0.280±0.098) at the stage with high titers of immune complexes more than 20μg/ml were significantly higher than that (0.191±0.063) of less than 20μg/ml (P<0.05). Along the recovery of the disease activity of SLE patients, serum levels of various components improved in order of C3d, C3, immune complex and lastly CH50.
The present studies would suggest that complement consumption and split could be related to immune complexes. Therefore, the measurement of C3d in plasma taken serially from SLE seemed to be a useful marker to evaluate the activation of complement in vivo.
