CH50 as a putative biomarker of eculizumab treatment in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder

Chihiro Namatame; Tatsuro Misu; Yoshiki Takai; Shuhei Nishiyama; Ichiro Nakashima; Kazuo Fujihara; Masashi Aoki

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e05899

CH50 as a putative biomarker of eculizumab treatment in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder

Heliyon. 2021 Jan 8;7(1):e05899. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e05899. eCollection 2021 Jan.

Authors

Chihiro Namatame¹, Tatsuro Misu¹, Yoshiki Takai¹, Shuhei Nishiyama¹, Ichiro Nakashima², Kazuo Fujihara³, Masashi Aoki¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
² Department of Neurology, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
³ Department of Multiple Sclerosis Therapeutics, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.

Abstract

Here we report 3 cases of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), who were all treated with eculizumab and could be observed with monitoring serum C3, C4 and 50% hemolytic complement (CH50) before and after the treatment. Serum C3 and C4 were not dramatically changed during the treatment, in contrast serum CH50 level of each patient had diminished and kept under the detection limit after the treatment without clinical worsening, even in the situation of extending dosing. Serum CH50 level is useful to monitor the drug efficacy during eculizumab treatment.

Keywords: 50% hemolytic complement; Astrocytopathy; Biomarker; C3; C4; C5; CH50; Eculizumab; Neuromyelitis Optica; Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.