Adjuvant immunization induces high levels of pathogenic antiphospholipid antibodies in genetically prone mice: another facet of the ASIA syndrome

• Published in: Lupus 2012-02, Vol.21 (2), p.210-216
• Main Authors: Katzav, A, Kivity, S, Blank, M, Shoenfeld, Y, Chapman, J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adjuvants, Immunologic - adverse effects; Animals; Antibodies; Antibodies, Antiphospholipid - blood; Antibodies, Antiphospholipid - immunology; Autoimmune diseases; Autoimmune Diseases - blood; Autoimmune Diseases - chemically induced; Autoimmune Diseases - genetics; Autoimmune Diseases - immunology; Factor V - genetics; Factor V - immunology; Female; Glycoproteins; Humans; Medicine; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Transgenic; Mutation; Neurology; Neurosciences; Serology; Thrombosis; Variance analysis
• ISSN: 0961-2033; 1477-0962
• DOI: 10.1177/0961203311429550

Adjuvants may induce autoimmune diseases in susceptible individuals, a phenomenon recently defined as autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA). Patients with both antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) and the genetic coagulopathy factor V Leiden (FVL) are frequently found. We therefore evaluated whether adjuvant can induce aPL in heterozygous FVL mice. aPL were measured in naïve mice and at 1 and 5 months after immunization with either complete or incomplete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA, IFA) in FVL and control C57/B6 background mice. We defined antibody levels 3 SD above the mean of C57/B6 mice immunized with adjuvant as positive (specificity of 99%). For β2GPI-dependent aPL, 28.6% (6/21) of FVL mice 5 months after immunization with adjuvant (both IFA and CFA) were positive compared with 4.8% (1/22) of FVL mice 1 month after adjuvant and 0% of naïve FVL and C57/B6 mice (0/16, p