The correlation of anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibody with complement activation in patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy

Purpose This study evaluated the correlation of anti-β2-glycoprotein I (anti-β2-GPI) antibodies with complement activation in patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN). Methods Thirty-two IMN patients with positive anti-β2-GPI antibody were enrolled, and 32 age- and sex-matched IMN patients with negative anti-β2-GPI antibody were randomly enrolled as controls. The frozen serum samples of these 64 patients were collected for detection of anti-phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) antibody and the activity of three complement pathways. Paraffin specimens of the kidney tissues of these 64 patients were collected for immunohistochemical staining of C4d. Results IMN patients with positive anti-β2-GPI antibody had a significant decline of the residual complement activity of alternative pathway than those with negative anti-β2-GPI antibody (37.4 ± 21.2% vs 65.7 ± 50.5%, P = 0.021). The positive rate of kidney C4d staining in IMN patients with and without anti-β2-GPI was 65.6 and 81.2%, with no significant difference ( P = 0.257). Patients with and without anti-β2-GPI had the same positive rate of anti-PLA2R antibody. Conclusion Anti-β2-GPI antibody was associated with alternative complement activation in patients with IMN.