Objective: Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) are closely related to the development of thrombosis, but the exact mechanism(s) leading to thrombotic events remains unknown. In this study, using proteomic techniques, we evaluated changes in protein expression of monocytes from patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) related to the pathophysiology of the syndrome.
Methods: Fifty-one APS patients were included. They were divided into 2 groups: patients with previous thrombosis, and patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion. As controls, we studied patients with thrombosis but without aPL, and age- and sex-matched healthy subjects.
Results: The proteins that were more significantly altered among monocytes from APS patients with thrombosis (annexin I, annexin II, protein disulfide isomerase, Nedd8, RhoA proteins, and Hsp60) were functionally related to the induction of a procoagulant state as well as to autoimmune-related responses. Proteins reported to be connected to recurrent spontaneous abortion (e.g., fibrinogen and hemoglobin) were also determined to be significantly deregulated in APS patients without thrombosis. In vitro treatment with IgG fractions purified from the plasma of APS patients with thrombosis changed the pattern of protein expression of normal monocytes in the same way that was observed in vivo for monocytes from APS patients with thrombosis.
Conclusion: For the first time, proteomic analysis has identified novel proteins that may be involved in the pathogenic mechanisms of APS, thus providing potential new targets for pathogenesis-based therapies for the disease.